Motion for a resolution - B6-0023/2009Motion for a resolution
B6-0023/2009

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

7.1.2009

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Hannes Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma
on behalf of the PSE Group
on proclaiming 11 July the European Commemorative Day for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide on 11 July 1995

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0022/2009

Procedure : 2009/2502(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B6-0023/2009

B6‑0023/2009

European Parliament resolution on proclaiming 11 July the European Commemorative Day for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide on 11 July 1995

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its resolution of 7 July 2005 on 'The Balkans: 10 years after Srebrenica',

–  having regard to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina signed on 16 June 2008 and the prospect of EU membership held out to all the countries of the western Balkans at the EU summit in Thessaloniki in 2003,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas on 11 July 1995 the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica, which had been proclaimed a safe area by the UN Security Council on 16 April 1993, fell to Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladić and under the direction of the then President of the Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadžić,

B.  whereas, during several days of carnage after the fall of Srebrenica, more than 8000 Muslim men and boys, who had sought safety in this area under the protection of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), were summarily executed by Bosnian Serb forces commanded by General Mladić and by paramilitary units, including Serbian irregular police units which had entered Bosnian territory from placecountry-regionSerbia,

C.  whereas this tragedy, declared an act of genocide by the ICTY, took place in a UN-proclaimed safe haven, and therefore stands as a symbol of the impotence of the international community to intervene in the conflict and protect the civilian population,

D.  having regard to the multiple violations of the Geneva Convention perpetrated by Bosnian Serb troops against Srebrenica's civilian population, including deportations of thousands of women, children and elderly people and the rape of a large number of women,

E.  whereas in spite of the enormous efforts made to date to discover and exhume mass and individual graves and identify the bodies of the victims, the searches conducted until now do not permit a complete reconstruction of the events in and around Srebrenica,

F.  whereas there cannot be real peace without justice and whereas full and unrestricted cooperation with the ICTY remains a basic requirement for further continuation of the process of integration into the EU for the countries of the western Balkans,

G.  whereas General Radislav Krstić of the Bosnian Serb army is the first person found guilty by the ICTY of aiding and abetting the Srebrenica genocide, but the most prominent indicted person, Ratko Mladić, is still at large twelve years after the tragic events; whereas it was a very positive step to deliver Radovan Karadžić to The Hague,

H.  whereas the shortcomings in the EU decision-making mechanisms and the lack of a genuine common foreign and security policy also played a negative role in the course of events,

1.  Commemorates and honours all victims of the atrocities during the wars in the former Yugoslavia; expresses its condolences to and solidarity with the families of the victims, many of whom are living without final confirmation of the fate of their fathers, sons, husbands or brothers; recognises that this continuing pain is aggravated by the failure to bring those responsible for these acts to justice;

2.  Calls on the Council and Commission to commemorate appropriately the anniversary of the Srebrenica-Potočari act of genocide by supporting the European Parliament's recognition of 11 July as the day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide;

3.  Calls for further efforts to bring the remaining fugitives to justice and expresses its support for the work of the ICTY;

4.  Underlines the importance of securing peace and stability in the western Balkans and the need for a genuine reconciliation process to commence, as part of the European integration process; urges all countries to make further efforts to come to terms with a difficult and troubled past;

5.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of Bosnia and country-regionplaceHerzegovina and its entities, and the governments and parliaments of the countries of the western Balkans.