DATE=2/4/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SREBRENICA SURVIVORS / U-N (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258833
BYLINE=BRECK ARDERY
DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations is reacting cautiously to
complaints against Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
other top U-N officials, by survivors of the 1995 Serb
massacre of Muslims in Srebrenica. V-O-A
Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from the United
Nations.
TEXT: A lawyer representing a group of Srebrenica
survivors met with the U-N war crimes prosecutor at
the Hague, to accuse Mr. Annan, former Secretary-
General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and other U-N officials
of creating conditions which led to the massacre.
Thousands of Bosnian Muslims were murdered in July of
1995 when Serb forces took Srebrenica.
At the time, the United Nations had declared
Srebrenica a "safe area." The survivors claim U-N
officials contributed to the massacre by their failure
to protect Srebrenica.
Asked about the accusation (Friday), the chief
spokesman for Secretary-General Annan, Fred Eckhard,
read a carefully-worded statement.
/// ECKHARD ACT ///
According to the statute for the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the
prosecutor is the sole authority with the power
to initiate investigations and prosecutions of
persons before the tribunal. There is no
procedure, similar to the one existing in some
national jurisdictions, whereby private citizens
can initiate private prosecutions before the
tribunal.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Eckhard refused to go beyond his statement. A
spokesman for war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte
confirmed the prosecutor had met with a representative
of the Srebrenica survivors, but offered no details.
The International Tribunal has already indicted two
Serb leaders for the massacres, but they remain at
large.
/// REST OPT ///
Last November, The United Nations released an
extensive and highly self-critical report on its role
in the massacre at Srebrenica. The report says the
tragedy occurred because of serious misjudgments on
the part of U-N officials. The most serious
misjudgment, the report says, was the failure of U-N
officials to fully recognize the "scope of evil"
facing the Muslims of Srebrenica from Serb forces.
After that report was released, Bosnia's U-N
ambassador, Muhammad Sacirbey, praised it, saying it
took courage for the U-N leadership to admit its
mistakes. (Signed)
NEB/UN/BA/LSF/ENE/WTW
04-Feb-2000 14:49 PM EDT (04-Feb-2000 1949 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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