DUTCH GOVERNMENT AND UN HELPED SERBIAN FASCIST AGGRESSOR COMMIT GENOCIDE IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 6,2008) – On 16 June 2008 the District Court at The Hague,the Netherlands, will hear the first civil action brought against the Dutch State by relatives of the genocide victims from the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica - Hasan Nuhanovic and the family of Rizo Mustafic.

Also,an international team of lawyers filed a lawsuit last year on behalf of approximately 6,000 genocide survivors from the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica against the Dutch State and the United Nations (UN) for helping the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor commit genocide in Bosnia during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The lawsuit contains 8.000 individual cases with around 6.000 plaintiffs.The first hearing in this case will be held on 18 June 2008 at the District Court at The Hague,the Netherlands.

On June 16,Hasan Nuhanovic and the family of Rizo Mustafic will seek to establish that the Dutch government is responsible for the failure of Dutch troops acting under a United Nations mandate to protect their family members mass murdered by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor in July 1995.

Hasan Nuhanovic, a U.N. interpreter who lost his father, mother and younger brother in the genocide, and the family of Rizo Mustafic, an electrician employed by the Dutch battalion of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), claim that the Dutch government failed to protect the lives of their relatives after the safe area established by U.N. Security Council Resolution around the town of Srebrenica in Eastern Bosnia was allowed to fall into the hands of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor.

The Nuhanovic and Mustafic families were among thousands of Bosnian civilians who sought protection inside the compound of the U.N. base at Potocari but were then delivered by the Dutch UNPROFOR forces into the hands of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor.

The genocidal Serbian aggressor had overrun the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995, which had been declared a safe haven by the United Nations two years earlier. The Dutch peacekeepers did not fire a single shot in defense, and the UN did not respond to the Dutch commander's calls for air support.

Dutch soldiers in U.N. blue helmets did absolutely nothing to protect Bosnian civilians.They just watched on as Bosnian women and young girls were taken away and raped by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor and thousands of Bosnian civilians being taken away for summary execution.

In a tort action against the Dutch state in which much of the legal debate revolves around the division of responsibility between the United Nations and national states, the plaintiffs' lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld will argue that the Dutch government and the Dutch command within UNPROFOR were responsible for the gross negligence shown by Dutch troops, were primarily concerned for the safety of their national contingent and showed scant regard for the safety of the civilian population entrusted to their care.

The genocide victims' families launched the lawsuit against the Netherlands and the UN. in July 2007, arguing the Dutch U.N. soldiers were to blame for the genocide in Sreberenica because they refused crucial air support to their own troops defending the Bosnian town.

The Dutch U.N. soldiers abandoned the enclave instead,and the genocidal Serbian aggressor mass murdered up to 10,000 Bosnian civilians who had relied on protection from the Dutch U.N. troops.

Former leaders of the Serbians living in Bosnia,Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, both wanted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague on genocide charges over Srebrenica, are still on the run.

Dismayed by the failure to bring to justice the two chief suspects, the genocide victims' families say they have turned to a Dutch court for recognition and redress for the tragedy.

The Dutch government has always said its troops were abandoned by the U.N. which gave them no air support, but public documents actually show a network of Dutch military officials within the U.N. blocked air support because they feared their soldiers could be hit by friendly fire, the genocide victims families' lawyers said.

The Dutch government resigned in April 2002 in a scandal over its role in the genocide in Bosnia.Over 3,000 genocide victims have been buried so far in the Genocide Memorial Center in Potocari near Srebrenica. Mass graves are still being excavated.
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EXHUMATION FROM A MASS GRAVE NEAR SREBRENICA CONTINUES

SREBRENICA, Bosnia (June 6,2008) – Last week, during just one day, 20 skeletons of genocide victims were exhumed from the mass grave Pusmulici, near the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica, but, due to the tragic death of a member of the Expert team, the exhumation was stopped.

As Murat Hurtic, the chief of the Expert team of Canton Tuzla Institute for Searching after Missing Persons, has announced, the work on this mass grave site continued yesterday.

This is the primary grave of the dimensions 15x4 metres, in which there are, as it is assumed, dozens of posthumous remains of Bosnian civilians from Srebrenica, mass murdered by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor in July 1995.
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ECONOMIC COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN BOSNIA AND SLOVENIA TO BE INITIALLED NEXT WEEK

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 6,2008) - The Slovenian Ambassador to Bosnia Natasa Vodusek and the Bosnian Assistant Agriculture Minister Sabrija Serifovic will initial an economic cooperation agreement in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Monday, June 9.

Bosnia and Slovenia will thus commit to put constant effort into the development and expansion of their economic relations, especially in the areas of agriculture, transport, telecommunications, healthcare, environment, education, tourism, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, mining, construction,etc..
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EUROPEAN UNION DETERMINES BOSNIA'S CONDITONS FOR VISA LIBERALISATION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (June 6,2008) - The European Union (EU) has determined conditions Bosnia must meet for an agreement on visa liberalisation with the EU.The main condition for Bosnia in this process is the security of documents (biometric passports).

European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot, in charge of Justice, Freedom and Security, welcomed the transmission of the Roadmap on visa liberalisation to the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister of Bosnia, yesterday in a ceremony which took place in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

The Roadmap gives clear indications to the Bosnian authorities on the measures that need to be taken in order to grant visa free travel to all its citizens.

"I attach the greatest importance to facilitating people to people contacts in particular for the younger generation. I am convinced that easy travel conditions will increase mutual understanding and improve our relations in all fields. The roadmap on visa facilitation is certainly another important step towards the EU integration of Bosnia," Barrot said.

"Yet, the roadmap offers more advantages to the Bosnian citizens",Barrot continued, "as it will encourage the country to continue implementing the relevant reforms and reinforcing cooperation at regional level and with the EU in areas such as strengthening the rule of law, fighting organised crime and corruption."

Since 1 January 2008, the Bosnian citizens enjoy the benefits of a visa facilitation agreement with the European Union. This agreement provides simplified procedures for issuing visas, including a visa fee waiver for a broad range of categories of citizens including students, sportsmen and sportswomen, cultural workers, journalists, people visiting family members living in the EU, people in need of medical treatment, businesspeople, etc. Up to 50% of the Bosnian citizens can currently be exempt from the visa fee. People who pay for visas are charged the special reduced rate of 35 Euros instead of 60 Euros.

The EU sent another strong message of openness/encouragement to all Bosnian citizens when on 28 January 2008 the General Affairs and External Relations Council invited the Commission to present detailed roadmaps setting clear benchmarks to be met by all the countries in the region in order to gradually advance towards visa liberalisation. On 26 May 2008, the dialogue on visa liberalisation between the EU and Bosnia was launched. The Roadmap presented officially yesterday is a concrete step towards visa liberalisation.

The Roadmap follows a balanced approach setting benchmarks which are realistic and achievable in the near future. It sets clear requirements for the reforms to be implemented in key areas such as security of documents, border management, fight against illegal migration, fight against organised crime and corruption and also in the area of fundamental rights.

The process will be closely monitored by the Commission assisted by the EU Member States' experts. The Commission will report regularly on the implementation of the Roadmap and will eventually consider the possibility to present a proposal for the lifting of the visa obligation for the Bosnian citizens.

After the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is signed between Bosnia and the EU, and the Agreement comes into force on July 1, the Bosnian state administration will make an official request to EU member countries to exempt Bosnian citizens from visa fees, until the full visa liberalisation.

This is what the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj announced yesterday, after receiving the visa liberalisation process road map, and said that he hopes good news would come by the summer.
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ENGLISH: THE UNITED STATES REMAINS THE LEADING PARTNER OF BOSNIA

MOSTAR, Bosnia (June 6,2008) - The US administration and the Bosnian Ministry of Defence signed an agreement inthe southern Bosnian town of Mostar yesterday about financing an external education and training programme for the members of the Bosnian Army. It will be funded by the US government with around 1 million US Dollars a year.

The US Ambassador to Bosnia Charles English said that his country remains the leading partner of Bosnia, and will supports Bosnia on her path to the NATO membership.
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