Hans Rustad For første gang tar Serbias nasjonalforsamling på seg noe av ansvaret for Srebrenica-massakren. Med knapt flertall vedtok den tirsdag en resolusjon som ber bosniakene om unnskyldning for at ikke mer ble gjort for å hindre massakren.
De folkevalgte sier ikke med rene ord at det var serbiske styrker som sto bak massakren på 8.000 sivile. Men bare det å erkjenne at det var en massakre er banebrytende. Det har vært en massiv motstand mot i det hele tatt å innrømme at en fant sted.
The resolution was approved by a narrow majority, with 127 out of 250 lawmakers voting in favor of issuing an apology to victims.
A statement on the Web site of the Serbian government read: “The Srebrenica Declaration sharply condemns the crime committed against the Bosnian population in Srebrenica in July 1995, expresses condolences to families of victims and extends apologies to them for lack of measures that could have prevented the tragedy.
Nasjonalforsamlingen støtter statsorganer som arbeider med krigsforbrytelser. Men hvis disse ordene skal stå til troende må Serbia vise at det kan pågripe den ansvarlige for massakren, general Ratko Mladic.
Det er allment antatt at resolusjonen ble vedtatt for å gjøre Serbias EU-søknad mer spiselig. Men det holder ikke med ord, skriver Slavenka Drakulic i the Guardian.
It added that arrest of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander, was “extremely important.” Mladic is the most senior fugitive still at large.
The declaration also called on all former Yugoslav republics to condemn crimes committed against Serbs in a similar manner.
Uttalelser fra politikere tyder på at de ikke helt forstår forskjellen på en symbolsk handliing og the real thing.
Democratic Party MP, Nada Kolundzija, told Serbia’s B92 network that “once the resolution is adopted, a tragic chapter in recent history will be closed and a new perspective will be opened for the new generations.” She added that Serbia “will have its international credibility and image restored.”
Likevel mener Drakulic at resolusjonen er betydningsfull.
It is evident that the resolution is forced by the political will and has a formal character. But the political will to deal with this issue is extremely important, and the parliament of Serbia should be credited with that. Political will is still the key to resolving of any affairs in the Balkans.
If one has to summarise the importance of the resolution in one sentence, it could be: Good, but not good enough. However, in its validation, one should take a look at the Turks, and their long-standing problems with recognition of the Armenian genocide. Last but not least, it helps remembering that the most successful de-nazification process, forced on Germany by allies, took not years, but decades. The Srebrenica resolution should be greeted with cautious benevolence, but Mladic’s extradition is Serbia’s next crucial step.
Det spørs om serberne vil være særlig fornøyd med å bli sammenlignet med tyrkerne. Men faktum er at de sliter med samme problem: erkjenne fortidens forbrytelser.
Det er ingen vei utenom.
