Lagumdžija: The truth about Srebrenica gives us a chance to ensure genocide never repeats

A three-day international conference closed to the public, titled „International Decision-Making in the Century of Genocide: Srebrenica 1993 – 1995“, organized by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Hague Institute for Global Justice, has concluded in The Hague, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The gathering in the Netherlands brought together some fifty key decision-makers at various levels, as well as experts who prepared extensive archival documentation on genocides.

Zlatko Lagumdžija, one of the conference participants, said he knew a great deal about the genocide in Srebrenica, but over these three days, through open dialogue and debate with actors from that period, he gained new insights, not only about what happened and who is responsible for the complete „bankruptcy“ of the international community, but also about what can be done to prevent such crimes in the future.

Alongside Lagumdžija, the Bosnian delegation also includes Hasan Muratović and Muhamed Duraković, a Srebrenica native who worked for international humanitarian organizations in Srebrenica during the siege.

On Wednesday, an open program titled „International Decision-Making and the Genocide in Srebrenica“ will be held. Speakers will include Dr. Abiodun Williams, President of the Hague Institute; Yasushi Akashi, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Yugoslavia, 1993–1997; Joris Voorhoeve, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, 1994–1998; General Rupert Smith, Commander of UNPROFOR in 1995; Carl Bildt, EU Special Envoy for Yugoslavia in 1995; Srebrenica native Muhamed Duraković; Cameron Hudson, Director of the Center for the Prevention of Genocide; and Lagumdžija will be one of the introductory speakers. The moderator is David Rohde.

- What is indisputable is not only the fact that this was the final act of genocide in the twentieth century, but also the collective awareness that the mechanisms and some key actors of the international community completely failed. It is precisely the truth about these events that has given us the chance to learn some lessons that can help us try to enter the 21st century with the possibility that „Never again“ is achievable – said Lagumdžija.

The only stain on the conference was the fact that former UN translator in Srebrenica, Hasan Nuhanović, was initially invited to this conference, but then his invitation was cancelled with the explanation that some people would feel uncomfortable in his presence.

Nuhanović is one of the key witnesses to the failures of the international community in Srebrenica, where he lost his closest family members, including his mother, father, and younger brother, writes NAP.