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On the second day of his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ban Ki-moon visited the Memorial Centre in Potocari and bowed facing the Srebrenica victims.
I am standing here in sorrow. We are sharing the pain. I am expressing my deep respect to the victims. We sympathise with their families. I am telling all of them that the whole world is with them. Nothing can compensate for such pain and emptiness in the hearts. Nobody can replace a father’s hand and a child’s smile. I know that many mothers buried their sons here. I am expressing my deep respect, Ban Ki-moon told journalists in Potocari.
Genocide was committed in Srebrenica in July 1995 and according to the court rulings, about 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.
While I am standing here, looking at the endless lines of graves and names – Amir, Fikret, Hamdija and eight thousands of others, I would like to say that Srebrenica is a sacred ground for the victims’ families, but also for the nations’ families, said Ban Ki-moon.
The UN Secretary General said that a lesson from Srebrenica must be learned in order to avoid new slaughter in the world.
During his visit to Potocari Ban Ki-moon was accompanied by Bakir Izetbegovic, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Secretary General spoke to representatives of victims’ associations in the Memorial Centres premises.
The Republika Srpska Army, VRS occupied Srebrenica, the then UN protected zone, on July 11, 1995. Most of the local residents gathered within the UNPROFOR Base in Potocari. Women and children were then transported to territories controlled by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while men were taken by buses to mass execution sites.
Media reports say that Ban Ki-moon visited the Musalla and wall engraved with names of 8,372 victims. He was then informed about other data related to the genocide in Srebrenica.
The UN Secretary General arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a two-day visit on July 25. While he was in Sarajevo, he met members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, State Parliament and representatives of political parties and other institutions.
E.M.
