Komšić: Never again trust in others' guarantees, UN an accomplice in genocide

(Patria) - Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić attended the unveiling of the "Srebrenica Flower" monument in front of the UN building in Vienna on United Nations Day.

The monument, which symbolizes remembrance, truth, and a warning to humanity, was erected with the support of institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria, and organized by the Union of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Associations in Austria Consilium Bosniacum.

In his address to the attendees, the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH Komšić emphasized that United Nations Square is the most appropriate place for the monument to the victims of genocide in Srebrenica, and that it is everyone's obligation to preserve the memory of the victims and not allow such crimes to happen again.

"It is an honor for me to be here with you today in Vienna, as you unveil the 'Srebrenica Flower' monument. United Nations Square in Vienna is the best place in this city where the monument could have been built, for several reasons, both positive and negative. Let's start with the positive ones. The fact is that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established by a decision of the United Nations, and that it de facto and de jure represented the United Nations Court.

That Court established the judicial truth about a series of facts and events that took place in July 1995 in the supposedly protected zone of the United Nations in Srebrenica, which were legally qualified as genocide against the Bosniaks of the Srebrenica enclave. Also, the United Nations Court established, based on facts, the nature of the crimes that preceded the genocide, which were committed continuously from 1992 until the final genocidal operation in July 1995.

The judicially established truth, through verdicts for genocide and verdicts for crimes against humanity, is now globally known, and denial of genocide in Srebrenica is an extremely undesirable form of social behavior in many countries, and legally punishable in some.

The crime of genocide in Srebrenica has also become a historical precedent in Bosnian history, as it is the first time that an attempt to exterminate a people to this extent has been documented and institutionally memorialized.

There have been similar crimes and massacres in our history before, but for the first time, those who are direct victims of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina have had the opportunity in their country and their state to record what was done to them, and to remember it in various ways. The role and assistance of the United Nations Court in all of this was enormous, I would say almost decisive.

Unfortunately, there is also the negative, dark side of the complete role of the United Nations in the genocide in Srebrenica, which we must not and cannot forget! That is one of the main reasons why we are unveiling this monument today, here. It is also a fact that the United Nations, as the umbrella international institution, is directly responsible for the genocide in Srebrenica.

By declaring Srebrenica a zone under its protection, and by declaring demilitarization which in practice consisted solely of the disarmament of members of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and not at all of members of the Army of Republika Srpska, the United Nations enabled the execution of the genocidal operation of July 1995.

The Dutch UN battalion served as an accomplice in the commission of the crime of genocide against the Bosniaks of Srebrenica and Podrinje, just as the Ukrainian UN is responsible for the death of commander Avdo Palić in Žepa. That act of cowardice, of UN forces standing with criminals, faithfully reflects the role of UN military forces and shows that the attitude of UN military forces in Srebrenica towards Bosniaks was not an exception, but a rule.

As a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also as a proud Bosnian and Herzegovinian, I am proud that my country did not side with the crimes and genocide that are happening in the world today. It is often heard today, from various sides, that it is neither wise nor prudent to take sides in international conflicts.

But where conflicts go beyond military confrontations and begin to become confrontations with unarmed, even completely innocent people, then, of course, taking sides is not a matter of intelligence, but a matter of character, morals, and even human dignity. That is why I am proud that we have condemned the genocide against the Palestinians, as well as Russia's aggression against Ukraine. We do not think we are capable of correcting the world's wrongs, we are not that naive.

We must first and foremost take care of our own interests, of the security and stability of our country, but a clear stance towards injustice done to others gives us the right to stand here today with our heads held high and to remember Srebrenica, and everything that was done to Srebrenica and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are also here to clearly state that we will never again allow the fate of our country's people to be left in the hands of anyone outside ourselves.

We will build good relations with all countries that are friendly towards our homeland. With those that are not, we will try to maintain correct relations, but we will never again trust in any external guarantees or external protection. Our bloody history teaches us that", concluded Komšić.