Brnabic: “the crimes of Srebrenica was not a genocide”

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In an Interview with DW-TV Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke about the refurbishment of the war in Bosnia, spoke about Serbia’s chances for EU accession, and freedom of the press in your country.

The massacre of Srebrenica, said the Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic in the DW-policy-talk-show “Conflict Zone”, was “a terrible crime”, but not genocide. Also on demand, Brnabic, the massacre confirmed “a heinous crime, it is a war crime,” the term genocide, however, is inaccurate: “genocide means that kills children, the entire population of women, and that was not the case.”

In July 1995, during the Bosnian war, killed soldiers of Republika Srpska in the area around the town of Srebrenica, more than 7000 Muslim, mostly male, Bosnians. Srebrenica is located in, founded in 1992 Republika Srpska, the Serbian-dominated and predominantly Orthodox part of today’s Bosnia-Herzegovina. The UN Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia classified the massacre as genocide.

Brnabic added in the DW-TV, the massacre had not been perpetrated “in the name of the Serbian people”, and Serbia and the Serbs could not be collectively blamed for it. “Serbia is by far the best example in the Region in dealing with war crimes,” replied Brnabic the Conflict-Zone-Moderator Tim Sebastian to the question of why so few high-level actors in criminal law would be prosecuted. “Maybe we can do more and we will, too. Serbia will make its contribution to the rule of law to ensure, to deal with the past and the future.”

The cemetery in Srebrenica testifies to the mass murder of Muslim Bosnians

No imminent EU accession of Serbia

Another theme in the Interview was the accession of Serbia to EU. Your country was not yet far enough to join the EU, said the Prime Minister, and this will be before 2025: “If the EU says you can join, I would say that we are not ready.” A present accession, Brnabic, would have negative consequences for Serbia and the EU. The last years have shown that EU-accession States Federal weaknesses, if countries join early: “I believe that the extensions were in the past very successfully.”

Nevertheless, Brnabic can gain from the enlargement process Positive. “What is important is that we all reforms are actually implemented, and thus, as a society, politically and economically ready for the EU”, the Prime Minister. This was achieved, going to be the membership in the EU is a “natural consequence”. “We want to be part of the EU, because the EU is a peace project and a successful one, because we have, for the first time in the history of Europe in the long term peace”, Brnabic.

As crucial for the EU accession, the normalisation of the relationship of Serbia to Kosovo. The majority of member States have recognised Kosovo as an independent state. Belgrade charges but still claim to the territory, the more managed it since 1999.

Brnabic in an interview with DW-Moderator Tim Sebastian

The European Commission has pointed out that Serbia and Kosovo will, in the meantime, in the EU, so that they can be included in the community.

Freedom of the press in Serbia: “We have a lot to do”

As a further site in Serbia, freedom of the press. The EU’s criticism on the lack of progress in the freedom of the media in Serbia countered Brnabic in Conflict Zone: “I see that in Serbia freedom of the press. I see daily in the media criticism of the President, to myself, to the government.” However, the Prime Minister also admitted: “We have to do in Serbia a lot of to and take care of it. I think the Situation is improving. In all cases, it is not become worse.”

In Serbian media the Interview with Ana Brnabic came across some sharp reactions – according to the Motto: The “naughty” Journalist and the “brave Ana”.

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Serbian PM Ana Brnabic on Conflict Zone

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Serbian PM Ana Brnabic on Conflict Zone