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COMMEMORATION OF SREBRENICA MASSACRE |
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COMMEMORATION OF SREBRENICA MASSACRE
SPEECH BY JACK STRAW British Foreign Secretary on 11/07/05
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We stand here to remember one of the darkest chapters in Europe since
1945. We mourn the thousands killed here. And, as we utterly condemn
those responsible for the slaughter, we recall the chilling words of
Edmund Burke that 'the only thing that is necessary for the triumph of
evil is that good men do nothing'.
For it is to the shame of the international community that this evil
took place under our noses, and we did nothing like enough. I bitterly
regret this, and I am deeply sorry for it.
I have a message from the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. He cannot
be here today and says:
'To the people of Srebrenica. You are in our thoughts on this tenth
anniversary. We shall never forget the terrible suffering which you
endured. We express solidarity with you. And we thank you for your
expressions of solidarity with us after the barbaric London bombings
last Thursday. The bombers seek to provoke hatred between religions and
between cultures. It is our duty to humanity to ensure that they never
succeed.'
Distinguished guests,
Tragically, ethnic hatred, mistrust and intolerance has long thrived too
much in this region. We have to create a lasting peace here, by building
mutual trust and understanding.
That has to have a twin foundation. First is justice. Second is a shared
future.
Recent history has shown that former enemies – however terrible their
conflicts – can be brought together. The European Union itself rose out
of the ruins of a continent shattered by war and atrocities. But a key
part of the process of reconciliation in other parts of Europe was
bringing those responsible for these atrocities to justice. That same
process must take place here.
It is sickening that ten years after the massacre in Srebrenica those
accused of it – notably Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic – are still
free. No-one should protect them from facing transparent, international
justice.
If we can deal honestly with the past we can build for the future. A
stable future for Bosnia will be based on successful co-existence of the
three main communities – Bosniak, Serb and Croat. I welcomed the
conviction expressed by Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia & Montenegro and
Croatia in last month’s Mount Igman declaration that there is no
alternative to the full renewal of good neighbourly relations and to
regional co-operation based on full equality.
The declaration also makes clear that all three countries aspire to
membership of the European Union. We will do all we can to assist but a
fundamental and prior condition for all countries in the region is an
end to the protection of fugitive indictees.
Ladies and Gentlemen
As we mourn, we must remember; today and for always; for it is only
through the living memory of the depths of depravity to which human kind
can fall that we can hope to build a better future for all mankind, here
and everywhere.