Udruzenje gradjana "MAJKE SREBRENICE I PODRINJA"

Patriotske lige 22, SARAJEVO;
tel 00387-33-218-842, 432-970;
fax 00387-33-218-842;
mobil 061-170-803
Racun 129-101-10004773-07 Central Profit Banka Sarajevo;
e-mail: [email protected]
JIB: 4200266850003

TO:

Congressman Christopher Smith Senator Gordon Smith
U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate
Fax No. (202) 255-7768 Fax No. (202) 228-3997
Tel. No. (202) 225-3765 Tel. No. (202) 224-3753

Dear Congressman Christopher Smith and Senator Gordon Smith,

Association of Mothers of Srebrenica and Podrinje write to thank you for
sponsoring S.RES 134 in the Senate and H.RES 199 in the House to mark the
10th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre and for the continuous support
of the American people for the independence and territorial integrity of
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rights of all people living in Bosnia and
Herzegovina regardless of their ethnicity and religion.

These resolutions have global impact, beyond Srebrenica, on the rule of law
and freedom in the world. As such, it is important that the resolutions
clearly condemn Serbia and Montenegro as the aggressors and principal
organizers, initiators, and perpetrators of the war crimes and the genocide
committed against the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, we
appeal that the resolutions include stronger language indicating the
responsibility of Serbia and Montenegro for their aggression and role in the
war crimes and the acts of genocide against the people of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.

The involvement of Serbia and Montenegro as aggressors and perpetrators of
the war crimes and genocide against the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are
well documented in proceedings of the lawsuit of Republic of Bosnia and
Herzegovina against Serbia and Montenegro at the International Court of
Justice in The Hague and the proceedings at the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. As recently as the first
week of June 2005, TV stations in Serbia and Montenegro and all over the
world, showed video footage of members of the Serbian State Security Forces
executing citizens of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Srebrenica.
The footage is evidence in the trial of the former president of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) - Slobodan Milosevic. On
June 16, 2005, the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro issued a
statement blaming the regime of former president Slobodan Milosevic, now on
trial before the Hague Tribunal for War Crimes in Former Yugoslavia, for the
massacre in Srebrenica. With this statement, the Council of Ministers of
Serbia and Montenegro admitted the responsibility of their nation for war
crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina; regardless of regime changes,
the responsibility for war crimes committed remains with the nation - just
as the Federal Republic of Germany was responsible for the crimes committed
by the Nazi regime during the World War II and had to pay reparations to the
victims of their aggression and the victims of the Holocaust.

Before their aggression on the sovereign Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Serbia and Montenegro (rump of former Yugoslavia), were also aggressors in
the war against the Republic of Slovenia in 1990 and the Republic of Croatia
in 1991. The wars in these three countries were not initiated by ethnic
Serbs, as there were no "Slovenian Serbs" in Slovenia, nonetheless there was
still a war between "Serbs" and "Slovenians." Therefore, without the same
aggression by Serbia and Montenegro that took place in Slovenia and Croatia,
there would have been no war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations
Security Council Resolutions 752 and 757 from 1992 clearly stated that the
rump Yugoslavia (which was constituted of Serbia and Montenegro), was the
aggressor in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was based on these resolutions that
the U.S. introduced economic sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro.

It should also be recognized that the "Serb Republic" was created on the
territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the result of the
aggression, ethnic cleansing, and genocide initiated, perpetrated, and
supported by Serbia and Montenegro, against the Articles of the Geneva
Conventions and international laws that prevent changes of borders and
changes of constitutions of sovereign nations as the result of aggression.
For these reasons, the U.S. should not support provisions of the Dayton
agreement that facilitate the territorial division of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and the creation of the "Serb Republic." For the reasons just stated above,
the U.S. and the Free World dissolved the Third Reich and the states that
the Nazis created in occupied Europe. Therefore, we appeal that the
resolutions include a request for the dissolution of the "Serb Republic" and
the return of the legitimate constitution of the Republic of Bosnia and
Herzegovina which was in place before the aggression.

It is deplorable that Srebrenica is within the borders of the "Serb
Republic," which was created as a result of the very genocide committed in
Srebrenica. It is important to note that the United Nations Security
Council Resolution 819 on April 16, 1993 that established the UN Safe Area
in Srebrenica and Zepa is still binding and has never been abandoned.
Therefore, in current resolutions we appeal that the U.S. supports
Srebrenica victims by stating that Srebrenica should be placed under UN
authority until the "Serb Republic" is dissolved and the legitimate prewar
constitution of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is reinstated.

Again, we would like to commend the U.S. Congress for their efforts to
sponsor H.RES 199 and S.RES 134 to mark the 10th Anniversary of the
Srebrenica Massacre.


Sincerely,

Zineta Mujic s.r. Ibran Mustafic s.r.
President President of the Executive Board

Mothers of Srebrenica and Podrinje Mothers of Srebrenica and Podrinje

(033) 432-970 (061) 170-803

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
June 20, 2005
srebrenica.net www.srebrenica.net