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	Srebrenica: A Cry From the Grave is a new film from UK-based Antelope which documents Europe's largest single massacre since World War II. The film won the Jury Prize upon its premiere at the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam in November, 1999. It has since been broadcast on television throughout Europe and the United States. Click on the above link to view the website or to check local PBS affiliates' air dates for rebroadcasts. Bosnia and Herzegovina Prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office February 1919 - No. 10, pp.83 (Pdf - 23,6 kb) Most wanted: Yugoslavia's top suspects The U.S., Bosnia, and Henry Kissinger´s Lie., by Michael Sells (Pdf - 15,3 kb)
UNDERSTANDING THE KARADZIC-HOLBROOKE "DEAL" - August 27, 2008 On August 29, as Radovan Karadzic is scheduled to make another appearance before the Tribunal, the question that is asked now: what were the motivations behind a Karadzic/Holbrooke deal? Most people would question why a representative of the US Government would engage in deal making with a person who directed some of the most detestable crimes and genocide as the then president of the Republika Srpska and even after Karadzic had been indicted by International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, (ICTY)? The motivations for such a deal were several presumably advancing the peace process but also parochial interests of the promoters of the Dayton Accords: - Karadzic’s candidacy for the Presidency of BiH in 1996 was contrary to the Dayton Accords due to his indictment by the ICTY, and removing him from the political scene was a precondition for holding “free and fair” elections in all of BiH. - Karadzic’s continued public, political engagement was vivid evidence of the lack of will to arrest him and Mladic, despite a year earlier indictment by the ICTY, and was embarrassing the US and promoters of the Dayton Accords. - The timing, September 1996, of elections in BiH was not coincidental but fashioned to be proof the superiority of the Holbrooke and thereby Clinton strategy in Bosnia over that of rival Bob Dole, (and Holbrooke also had his aspirations for Secretary of State as well as the Nobel Peace Prize). - Karadzic’s or Mladic’s arrest was not desirable potentially exposing “big power” acquiescence, complicity and other “deals.” (more...) TUZLA, May 25 (FENA) – The non-governmental organization Association Truth for Justice (Udruženje Istina za pravdu), which acts from 2006 in Tuzla, has started web site www.kapija.ba on the occasion of annotating May 25, the day when forces of RS Army killed 71 people from Tuzla with the grenade shut from Ozren, it was announced from BMG Bosnian Media Group Tuzla...(more..) KOSTUNICA SHOWS HIS NATIONALIST COLOURS Yugoslavia's new president, Vojislav Kostunica, got his regional foreign policy off to a shaky start yesterday by visiting the Serb part of Bosnia for the re-burial of a nationalist poet who was much admired by the indicted war criminal and former Bosnian leader, Radovan Karadzic. The controversial visit was slightly softened after Mr Kostunica, listening to pleas from Bosnian Muslim leaders and the UN's international administrators, agreed to stop briefly in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo before returning to Belgrade. (more..) The return of Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib has come back to haunt the US government. The latest pictures from the prison are another disaster for the image of the US presence in Iraq (formally an occupation at the time the photos were probably taken, in 2003). They could hardly have come out at a worse time, amid the furore over the Danish cartoons and immediately after the emergence of a video showing British troops beating up Iraqi protesters. (BBS NEWS) In pictures: New Abu Ghraib images YOUR PICTURE GALLERY IS NOW LOADING... These previously unpublished images show apparent US abuse of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail in 2003. WARNING Berg decapitation video was filmed inside the Abu Ghraib prison by Hector Carreon La Voz de Aztlan Los Angeles, Alta California - May 16, 2004 - (ACN) There is now ample evidence that the video showing the decapitation of 26 year old Nicholas Berg of Philadelphia by purported Al queda members is a complete fraud. The real Nick Berg may or may not be dead, but the heavily edited video is nothing but a fake. This is the conclusion of La Voz de Aztlan after a frame by frame analysis and the conclusion of hundreds of film, medical and other experts world wide who downloaded, viewed and analyzed the video as well. Literally thousands of persons world wide requested the video, which is rapidly disappearing from the Internet, after our news service published "Nick Berg decapitation video declared a fraud by medical doctor" on Wednesday May 12 and which was linked by other independent news services on the World Wide Web.... Shocking images revealed at Britain's 'Abu Ghraib trial' Audrey Gillan in Osnabrück Wednesday January 19, 2005 The Guardian Photograph no 22, of a set of 22, showing Lance Corporal Mark Cooley 'simulating' a punch to an Iraqi detainee. Photograph: British Court Martian Handout/PA Images of British soldiers described as shocking and appalling that allegedly show the abuse of Iraqi prisoners were shown to a court martial in Germany yesterday as the long-awaited case of three members of the 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers got underway.... Sarajevo massacre remembered By Jim Fish BBC World Affairs Correspondent It was one of the single most bloody events of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and one of the most mysterious. The single shell blast in Sarajevo's Markale market on 5 February 1994 killed 68 people and wounded more than 100. (BBC NEWS) Profile: Ratko Mladic Ratko Mladic was Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic's army chief throughout the Bosnian war. (BBC NEWS) Perica Vucinic, Reporter (Bosnia edition), Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, May 16, 2001. On May 7, 2001, thousands of Serb protesters forced the cancellation of an attempt to lay the cornerstone for rebuilding the Ferhadija mosque in the now heavily Serb city of Banja Luka, Bosnia. (more...) Bosnian Serbs adopt war crimes law (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1575000/1575721.stm) - BBC Bosnian Serbs finally agree to co-operate with the UN war crimes tribunal, in a move which could lead to the extradition of indicted war criminals. TUZLA, June 18 - According to the records of the Labour Exchange of the Tuzla Canton end May there were 75,662 unemployed people in this Canton, out of which 59% of trained personnel. Among the trained personnel qualified workers make a majority, followed by those with secondary school qualifications, highly skilled workers, and by those with two-year post-secondary school or university qualifications. In May 2,282 new persons registered with the Labour Exchange, while at the same time 1,182 persons unregistered. MOSTAR, June 14 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Robert Beecroft, will visit Mostar on Tuesday, where he will meet with the functionaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton as well as with the representatives of political, economic and social life, a statement issued by the OSCE Office in Mostar says. During his stay in Mostar Beecroft will visit premises of the "Metalia" company where he will have talks with the general manager of the company, Nermin Colic, and the chef executive of the Mostar municipality North, Edin Music. Beecroft will be the host of the conference "Determination in Education" which will be attended by ministers of education, pupils and students. BY CHARLES BREMNER THE United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague has ordered Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav President, to stand trial for the murder of hundreds of civilians and the expulsion of 170,000 non-Serbs from Croatia during 1991-1992. The indictment accuses Mr Milosevic of torture, murder, plunder, unlawful imprisonment and other “inhuman acts” during Serbian “ethnic cleansing”. It comes on top of his prosecution for alleged atrocities against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in 1999. Carla Del Ponte, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, is also preparing to indict Mr Milosevic for genocide, the most serious international crime, in Bosnia. The charges over Belgrade’s role in the Croatian and Bosnian conflicts have been more difficult to establish than the case alleging Mr Milosevic’s responsibility for atrocities against the Kosovo Albanians. The Kosovo acts were mainly the work of regular Serb military units and security forces reporting to Belgrade. In the wars in Bosnia and Croatia, Belgrade kept a distance, claiming that Serbian nationalist forces in the respective former Yugoslav republics were operating on their own. Mr Milosevic was the President of the Republic of Serbia at the time of the alleged crimes in Croatia and was thus responsible for the actions of his subordinates, the Hague prosecutors allege. The latest indictment says that Mr Milosevic tried to remove forcibly most of the Croatian population and other non-Serbs from about one third of the Republic of Croatia. It adds that the goal was to incorporate the Croatian regions into a “greater Serbian State” inhabited only by Serbs. Forensic experts exhume bodies from mass graves in Bosnia The Associated Press SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- Forensic experts are exhuming a mass grave that appears to contain the remains of hundreds of people slain during the war in Bosnia, officials said Saturday. The dismembered body parts stacked in 162 sacks are believed to be Muslims slain in the eastern town of Srebrenica, the site of the worst massacre in Europe since the end of World War II. The bodies were discovered near the Bosnian Serb town of Zvornik, just a few miles from Srebrenica, said Murat Hurtic, a member of the Muslim Commission for Missing Persons. The site may contain the remains of as many as 250 people. Investigators refused to provide details about the site's precise location. The final count on the number of victims will be determined after DNA tests are done. Srebrenica was declared a U.N. "safe haven" toward the end of Bosnia's 1992-95 war, and thousands of Muslims flocked there to escape Serb attacks. But Bosnian Serb troops later overran the town, rounding up and executing up to 8,000 men and boys. More than 4,000 bodies have been found so far in mass graves nearby. Meanwhile, a separate mass grave was uncovered in the northwestern part of Bosnia. Forensic experts discovered the bodies of 75 Muslims killed by Serb troops, said Jasmin Odobasic, the deputy head of the commission. "We are continuing to work and will probably discover dozens of new bodies next week," he said. The second mass grave was found last week in a former iron mine near the Serb-held town of Prijedor, some 110 miles northwest of the capital, Sarajevo. Some 200,000 people died during the war in Bosnia. Balkan Anxieties over American Tragedy Friend or foe, people in the region fear the possible fall-out from the hijack attacks. By Tanya Domi in New York and Janez Kovac in Sarajevo As horror ripped through New York and Washington, people in the Balkans watched the developing drama with mixed feelings. Depending on whether ally or foe, a few celebrated, many grieved openly, but all feared possible consequences of the terror in America. "After yesterday, the world is not the same, politically, economically or psychologically," said Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic. Djindjic warned that the US and other Western countries could now move toward "psychological isolationism". He cautioned the West against sacrificing the efforts to find political solutions to the world's problems in favour of an unachievable goal of seeking total security through military means. The Bosnian premier, Zlatko Lagumdzija, repeated these words almost to the letter and offered assistance not only in protecting US citizens in Bosnia but also in tackling international terrorism. "Today is a new day in history," Lagumdzija said. He warned Bosnians that they may have to adjust themselves to possible changes in US foreign policy, as other concerns take precedence over the Balkans. These fears appear justified, since throughout the past decade Balkans has been heavily dependent on the US, and a major change in priorities in Washington could have a huge impact in the region. While all Western military, diplomatic and aid efforts have been multinational, Washington has been far and away the dominant player, forging an essential link between the US and the Balkans. The strength of the relationship was called into question during the US presidential election when the Bush campaign raised the possibility of withdrawing US troops. As president, however, George W. Bush has reconfirmed US engagement, although troops and funding are being gradually reduced. But many in the region fear that after the terrorist attack, US involvement may be substantially cut or even ended. Patrik Volf, a spokesman for the international community's high representative in Bosnia, sought to deflect concerns over US involvement. "The United States has made a firm commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina," he said. "We're confident that the US will live up to this commitment." Bosnia has a particular tie with the US, as the peace agreement and many other crucial steps in bringing its war to a close were driven by Americans. Other Balkan countries have different relationships with Washington, and thus have particular reasons for concern. Only a couple of years ago, Serbia was at war with America and other NATO countries, which bombed targets across Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in an attempt to stop Serb atrocities in Kosovo. Yugoslavia has been expecting its first serious financial aid and is now anxious that US may use the persistence of anti-American sentiment among sections of the Belgrade administration to backtrack on funding. Many Serbs are shocked and in grieving over the events in New York and Washington. But many others in Yugoslavia still obviously harbour anti-American sentiments, which will hardly ingratiate the country with a wounded and angry America. "I am still celebrating together with Palestinians," a Serb who identified himself only as a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina, said on Wednesday in a live radio programme in Montenegro. Ethnic Macedonians have harshly criticised the US involvement in their country, accusing Washington of supporting "Albanian terrorists". Yet while the peace agreement there remains fragile, for the moment any such awkward language was put aside and Macedonian political leaders joined with the visiting NATO chief Lord Robertson in observing the Europe-wide three minute of silence, held mid-day on September 14. Kosovo and Bosnia share one specific cause for concern: during their own wars, some extremist Muslim elements maintained links with the prime suspect behind the US hijack attacks, Osama bin Laden. Although there is no evidence that bin Laden himself was ever present in the Balkans, some of his followers may have used the chaos of the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo to infiltrate the region. Indeed, leaders in both Bosnia and Kosovo welcomed any help they could get while fighting against Serbs and thus accepted the support of a number of radical Islamic fighters. Some of these fighters, known as mujahidin, joined in the war in Bosnia, and some even took up Bosnian passports. The main motivation for others, however, was to establish a training ground for terrorist attacks against the West and to participate in the lucrative business of weapon and drug trafficking. While most were forced to flee after the wars ended, some stayed, marrying Bosnian women. On September 17 1999, Turkish secret police arrested 30-year-old Algerian Mehrez Aldouni, who was on Interpol's red list of most wanted terrorist suspects and reportedly an associate of bin Laden. He was carrying a Bosnian passport. Those Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) who do actively practice religion follow a very moderate form of Islam, and there is no question of extreme Islam in the country. Nevertheless, Bosnia, and to a degree Kosovo, are concerned that reports about terrorist connections, or more generally the growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the US, on their territory could damage relations with the West. Political concerns aside, many people throughout the region expressed simple solidarity with the victims. The day after the attack on the World Trade Centre, more than 1,000 Kosovo Albanians gathered spontaneously on the streets of Pristina in a silent commemoration. Hundreds of candles were left in silence on the doorsteps of American Liaison Centre. People in Sarajevo laid flowers in front of the closed US embassy, and most of the countries in the region observed the September 14 day of mourning for the victims. When news of the attack first broke, streets of many towns throughout the region looked ghostly, abandoned as people ran home from work to watch the American agony broadcast live on most of the local radio and television stations. From their own experience throughout the recent Balkan wars, many of them understood too well what Americans were going through. Tanya Domi, a former OSCE spokesperson in Bosnia, is pursuing post-graduate studies at Columbia University in New York. Janez Kovac is a regular IWPR contributor. Gordana Igric in London, Saso Ordanoski in Skopje and Nehat Islami in Pristina also contributed to this report.

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