RS, SIPA and EUPM join to provide Srebrenica commemoration security

10/07/2007

A collaboration of police agencies is responsible for the security measures for the 12th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. More than 1,000 people began to march towards the site of the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.

By Vlatko Vukotić for Southeast European Times in Banja Luka -- 10/07/07

SIPA police will join a contingint of Republika Srpska officers and EUPM police to provide security for the memorial commemoration. [File]

A group of 1,000 police officers from Republika Srpska (RS), the EU Police Mission (EUPM) and the State Agency for Investigations and Security (SIPA) will handle security at the 12th anniversary commemoration of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Wednesday (July 11th).

The Srebrenica massacre, which the International Court of Justice ruled in March as genocide, will be marked by tens of thousands of attendees, including UN war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte and former International High Representative to BiH Christian Schwarz-Schilling. A burial of the remains of 446 victims of the massacre -- which were identified last year -- will take place.

The security for the commemoration became a point of contention last month when Schwarz-Schilling announced that the issue would be handled by the state, instead of RS, who has been in charge in previous years. The Serbs said they would refuse to implement the mandate.

New High Representative Miroslav Lajcak, who took over the post last week, called on local leaders to reduce tensions on the issue. ''It will be harmful to the citizens of BiH if anyone starts to build a political agenda on this tragedy,'' the Slovak diplomat said.

The security plan was activated last week, as more than 1,000 people, including survivors of the 1995 massacre, began a three-day march from Sapna, near Tuzla, to Srebrenica. Participants of the march will stop by each of 39 mass graves discovered after the war. Together with BiH citizens, French, Germans, Dutch and Hungarians have joined the campaign.

"European Police will assign ten mobile teams in the Srebrenica area. These teams will closely collaborate with colleagues from the RS police and other agencies for law implementation, in order to provide that all events pass in order," EUPM Operational Advisor for Srebrenica Joerge Silkenath said.

After meeting last week with representatives of victim and survivor associations, Lajčák said that the Srebrenica criminals must be fully brought to justice, and that conditions for all the citizens who want to return to a normal life must be created.

Prior to this year's commemoration, the UNDP held a conference on the Development of Srebrenica. The Federation of BiH, Serbia, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, the BiH Council of Ministers and the district of Brcko pledged 36.5m euros in aid for Srebrenica over the next three years at the July 3rd meeting.

In addition, Turkey, Japan, Pakistan, the US and Norway announced investments for Srebrenica's development, social issues and land mine removal.