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Europe
Srebrenica relatives to sue Dutch State over massacre
2004-06-25
The relatives of Muslim men and boys massacred at Srebrenica in Bosnia by Serbian troops in 1995 have confirmed they will lodge a damages claim against the Netherlands, accusing the Dutch of failing to take adequate measures to prevent Europe's worst case of genocide since World War II. A member of the association of relatives of the Srebrenica victims said on Bosnian television on Thursday that the case will be lodged with a tribunal in The Hague on 1 July, Dutch public news service NOS reported. Dutch UN troops sent to protect the UN designated safe haven at Srebrenica during the violent break up of the former Yugoslavia surrendered without firing a shot to invading Bosnian-Serbian troops in July 1995.
Another example of your UN at work.
The Serbs then separated the Muslim men from the women and at least 7,000 men and boys were killed in a mass execution. Surviving relatives claim the Netherlands did not take adequate measures to prevent the slaughter. The Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) concluded in 2002 that the Dutch government, military officers and the United Nations were to blame for the Srebrenica tragedy. The Dutch Cabinet — under leadership of the then Prime Minister, Wim Kok — resigned in response to the report. In November 2003, a lawyer for families of the Srebrenica victims said they planned to lodge a multi-million damages suit against the Netherlands and the UN. About 8,000 relatives and survivors are represented in the case.

Meanwhile, the military officer in command of the Dutch troops at Srebrenica, Commander Thom Karremans, gave testimony to the UN Tribunal in The Hague on Thursday about the tasks of the Dutchbat troops and what they could have reasonably achieved in the enclave. Karremans primarily criticised the United Nations for failing to demilitarise the region and disarm Muslim fighters. But he also said he did not know if Muslim fighters used the designated safe zone as a base to carry out bloody attacks on Serbians in the vicinity. He also said that accused war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic gave him a vague answer when he asked him in 1995 if he would leave the enclave in peace if it was demilitarised. But in 1996, Karremans said that Mladic gave him a definite answer of "yes".
Must have had his fingers crossed.
Worst of all, Karremans had no honor. He didn't fight, he didn't stand up for anything, just gathered his troops and went home. I simply can't see a US Marine officer doing such a thing.
Mladic was the leader of the Bosnian-Serb troops which overran Srebrenica and is one of 14 people the UN Tribunal has indicted in relation to the massacre.
Posted by:Steve

#16  #12 Shipman - I'll be danged. Didn't know you meant the name you post with. :-p

I'd never heard of it, & I lived in the VA mountains for 15 years. (Escaped after high school, thank the C&O Railroad!) I had to look it up on Mapquest.

I'm from further west.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-06-25 6:12:10 PM  

#15  To substantiate my point in #13, everyone should read the new article posting by T.S. vicegirl entitled:
"US, European intelligence agencies hunt for terrorists in Bosnia"
Bosnia has become a way station for Islamic extremists, and a possible refuge
Posted by: rex   2004-06-25 5:14:51 PM  

#14  Anyways, now that the Serbs have had their butts kicked by us, I read that the region has become a nice safe haven for Muslim jihadists in training.

And look at what thanks we get from the Muslims for it.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-06-25 5:05:25 PM  

#13  Clinton and General Clarke were certainly far more successful than the Dutch in protecting the Muslims...so much so that now the Muslims are doing back to the Serbs what was done to them...fyi this mutual internecine slaughter had been going on for hundreds of years before communism put a temporary lid on it]Anyways, now that the Serbs have had their butts kicked by us, I read that the region has become a nice safe haven for Muslim jihadists in training.
Posted by: rex   2004-06-25 4:25:12 PM  

#12  Ms. Skolaut.... LOL
sure!
shipman!

Posted by: Shipman   2004-06-25 4:03:32 PM  

#11  #4 shipman - can you say which one?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-06-25 3:34:07 PM  

#10  PBMcL - LOL! You nailed it.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-06-25 3:33:07 PM  

#9  11A5S - sure they would. They'd form a commission.
Posted by: PBMcL   2004-06-25 3:03:54 PM  

#8  It's funny in a way. The Europeans say that they won't fight an "aggressive" war like Iraq but that they will fight to prevent genocide. In Srebrenica, their stated goal, their most dearly held belief was put to the test and they failed to act on it. They wouldn't shed blood to save the lives of innocents.

If I was an Islamist, I would fill four or five freighters with Jihadis. I'd fill the decks with women and children and sail them into Marseilles or Amsterdam. Then I'd march to city hall and declare the Caliphate of ____. You know what, I don't think that the Euros would do anything. I really don't.
Posted by: 11A5S   2004-06-25 1:13:31 PM  

#7  If the ICC gets too frisky with too many nations, the nations will just pull their share off the money tree and the ICC or whatever tribnal will be like a crab shell without any meat.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-06-25 12:46:00 PM  

#6  Right on, Barbara. This is just a taste of the what's to come with the ICC-a tsunami of wild accusations and trials.
Posted by: jules 187   2004-06-25 12:09:40 PM  

#5  I agree that they (Peace Keepers) are mostly useless. The Dutch did not have a strong enough force to stop the Serbs nor was there a Quick Reaction Force to call for help (Dutch problem). This is an example of another NATO country that can’t live up to its responsibilities. This was why the U.S. intervened (in force) and once again saved Europe from itself. Not the French, Germans, or Russians the U.S. had to send troops and equipment to stop a third-rate tyrant from killing his neighbors (in Europe). The Dutch never should have been there and it was NATOs fault for putting them in that position. Wonder how the EU is doing on their ‘Joint Military Force’ and how affective will that be?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter)   2004-06-25 11:56:15 AM  

#4  Thank allen they weren't humiliated before they were slaughtered. That really would have been expensive.

Ms. Skolaut I'm named after a small Blue Ridge town.... :)
Posted by: Shipman   2004-06-25 11:27:57 AM  

#3  Can I assume they'll use the vaunted ICC? Or better than sueing, why not just bring the guilty Dutch soldiers before the ICC for their crimes?

Or is that only for Americans?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-06-25 11:02:43 AM  

#2  Another waste of my tax money coming up......Dutch courage is a costly thing.
Posted by: Dutchgeek   2004-06-25 10:59:29 AM  

#1  Talk about self-destructive. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that nobody will even bother to send peacekeepers, who at the very least, can witness the slaughter.

I agree that the Dutch response was horrific, yet, these lawsuits will only assure that next time they won't be there to watch.

Maybe it's good. This whole peace-keeping thing has always been a wishful thinking sham.
Posted by: Anonymous5333   2004-06-25 10:41:28 AM  

00:00