Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with UAE Ambassador to the UN Mohammed Abushahab in New York on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly on the Srebrenica resolution on May 23 and all aspects of the potential adoption of the imposed document, TANYUG reports.
Vucic informed the ambassador that the adoption of the resolution will lead to new tensions, deep divisions and reopening of old wounds in the region, as well as in many countries around the world.
"In this sense, I reiterated that the UAE, as a country firmly committed to the promotion of peace, reconciliation and connectivity, represents an example of diplomatic prudence, which we all need today more than ever," Vucic wrote on Instagram.
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Vucic pointed to the dangerous precedent and motivations behind the resolution, as well as ulterior motives aimed not at commemorating the victims but at putting pressure on Serbia on other unresolved issues.
"I specifically noted that Serbia, unlike other countries involved in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, has always shown sincere respect for all victims, along with a willingness to face historical events with a view to creating solid foundations for reconciliation and cooperation as well as the preservation of the hard-won peace in the region", Vucic wrote.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday that Western powers were putting pressure on countries that could support a draft UN General Assembly resolution on Srebrenica and noted that although the outcome of the vote on the document would not be favorable to Serbia , the Western countries will not be satisfied, or because they expected a two-thirds majority.
In front of Pink TV, Dacic admitted that the situation is quite difficult.
"I spoke personally with 73 foreign ministers. I also spoke with the late Iranian minister. However, the situation is changing every day. They already have a new foreign minister and he is now in additional consultations," Dacic said.
He said many countries would abstain from voting in the UN General Assembly, but that according to the rules, only yes and no votes count.
We remind you that the session of the UN General Assembly, at which the vote on the proposed resolution on Srebrenica was supposed to take place on May 2, was postponed. For Serbia, after the diplomatic mission in New York, it was a significant success.
The outcome of the vote on the Srebrenica Genocide Resolution was, by all accounts, almost certain. The news that the document is about to be adopted was announced earlier by the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN.
"We are sending the text of the resolution for revision if the UN member states have other proposals. The general assembly will certainly be held after May 6. The Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina also took part in this decision. We want to give more time to everyone to get to know the real facts, as well as to everyone who might be against it now, to give their proposals", said BiH Ambassador to the UN Zlatko Lagumdzhia.
More votes "against" and "abstained" of those who would vote "yes" was the goal of the diplomatic activity of the delegation of Serbia in New York, although abstentions are not counted.
The tension surrounding the resolution began after BiH's ambassador to the UN overstepped his authority by initiating the initiative for its adoption, according to Belgrade.
He did not consult the three-member presidency, where there is usually no agreement on the matter, so Serbian member of the presidency Zelka Cvjanovic wants the release of Zlatko Lagumdžija to be included in the agenda of the next meeting of that body.
Cvijanovic is barred from entering the U.S. due to sanctions imposed for violating the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the 1995 Bosnian war, and cannot attend the session.
Germany and Rwanda have begun talks on a resolution on the Srebrenica genocide. The USA, Albania, Finland, New Zealand, Turkey and other countries also participated in the preparation of the text. It is called for July 11 to be the official International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide.
The Srebrenica genocide of 1995 must be condemned worldwide, support for the victims must be expressed. His denial and glorification of war criminals be banned to prevent future similar tragedies. This was stated last Friday by two members of the tripartite presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina at a UN session. Denis Bečirović and Željko Komšić of Bosnia's presidency made the remarks alongside Azir Osmanović, a Srebrenica survivor, at UN headquarters in New York.
Republika Srpska, in response to the Srebrenica resolution, will begin a process of independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was stated by the nationalist president of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik.
The genocide in Srebrenica did not happen, and if it did, there is no need to constantly raise this topic. The judgments of the courts refer to individuals, not people, Dodik said. Genocide is a fiction that will divide us. They try to force us to stay, even though they tarnish us. They want to make Srebrenica synonymous with genocide, and it is not yet known how many people actually died, he said.
Vucic announced that if the UN General Assembly passes the resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, Serbia will apply for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on the same day.
Vucic is convinced that if he submits his candidacy, Serbia will "convincingly defeat the two Eastern European NATO countries" that have announced candidacies for non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
He announced that if the resolution is adopted, Serbia will submit resolutions every year about the genocide in Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Jajinci and Jasenovac, but will not mention who is behind it.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has found in a series of verdicts over the past two decades that the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica was genocide.
In 2007, the International Court of Justice upheld such a declaration, further stating that Serbia had failed to prevent the genocide.