Brussels — The countries of South Eastern Europe must come to terms with their past and focus on their common future in the European Union, Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Erhard Busek said today (11 July) at the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.
A high profile ceremony commemorating the killing of 8,000 Muslims men and boys by the Serbian forces in 1995 took place earlier today in Potocari, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“We must never forget that Srebrenica saw Europe's worst atrocities since World War II. Commemorations such as this provide us with a timely reminder that something similar must never happen again. Those guilty of such crimes must be brought to justice as soon as possible,” Erhard Busek stressed today.
Busek added: “Today also provides a challenge to the maturity of the new leaders in SEE to acknowledge the past and by their example provide better future for their citizens. Good neighbourly relations and co-operation are the basis on which the EU was built and therefore are also a condition for South Eastern Europe’s membership of the EU.”
Launched in 1999, the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe is the first comprehensive conflict-prevention strategy of the international community, aimed at strengthening the efforts of the countries of South East Europe in fostering peace, democracy, respect for human rights and economic prosperity. The Stability Pact provides a framework to stimulate regional co-operation and expedite integration into European and trans-Atlantic structures. The Pact's secretariat, located in Brussels, is organised into three units - Working Table I deals with issues of democratisation and human rights, Working Table II with economic reconstruction, co-operation and development matters and Working Table III with security issues.
For further information, please contact Stability Pact's Spokesperson
Mr Dragan Barbutovski at the SP Secretariat in Brussels
(Tel: +32 2 401 87 25 or press@stabilitypact.org).
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PR2005/012
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