Petrič for Patria: The Hague decision is no one's victory, now you can finally focus on the economy

Now that the Court in The Hague has put a final end to the story regarding the revision of the verdict in the case of BiH v. Serbia for genocide, politicians in BiH should focus on stabilizing the situation in the country, developing the economy, and resolving the citizens' life issues, said dr. Ernest Petrič, professor of international law from Ljubljana, for the BiH news agency Patria.

He said that politicians should now focus on stabilizing the situation in the country.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague today rejected BiH's request for a revision of the verdict against Serbia. In 2007, the Court convicted Republika Srpska for genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica, and for crimes in other parts of the country, while Serbia was punished for failing to prevent genocide. 

Agent Sakib Softić filed a request for a revision of this verdict at the end of February 2017. Pro-Bosnian parties believe that the then Serbian authorities actively participated in the genocide in BiH, that there is evidence for this, but the Court in The Hague did not recognize the legitimacy of agent Softić, as he did not obtain consent for seeking revision from the Serb and Croat members of the Presidency of BiH. 

- The ball should now be brought down to earth and focus should be on calming tensions – said professor Petrič.

- Finally, the Court's decision should not be seen as a defeat for one side and a victory for the other. It is not like that at all. The decision of the Hague Court remains, the genocide in Srebrenica was committed, crimes against humanity in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina also... Serbia's responsibility also remains, not for genocide but for failing to prevent genocide – says professor Petrič.