50,000 people gather to commemorate victims of Srebrenica massacre
BELGRADE. July 12. KAZINFORM An estimated 50,000 people attended the 15th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica, during which the remains of 775 identified victims were buried on Sunday at the Potocari Memorial Center, just outside the town of Srebrenica, reported Radio Sarajevo; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
The worst massacre in Europe since World War II began on July 11, 1995, when Bosnian Serb forces overran the UN designated safe haven of Srebrenica, occupied by Bosnian Muslims. Approximately 8, 000 men and boys were killed in the aftermath. This day is observed as the national day of mourning in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Bosnian Muslim and Croat dominated entity of BiH.
Much local media attention was focused on the attendance of Serbian President Boris Tadic, who stated that "Serbia will not give up searching for the perpetrators of war crimes, in particular Ratko Mladic."Tadic said that the capture of Mladic, currently a fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was required for reconciliation among the peoples of the region.
Mladic, the commander of the Bosnian Serb army, the highest ranking military official at Srebrenica, is wanted for his role in the massacre.
Early this year the Serbian parliament passed a resolution condemning the crimes committed in Srebrenica; Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.news.xinhuanet.com for full version.