Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Brendan Smith TD has stated that the Srebrenica massacre still holds lessons for all actors in the international community. The abandonment of the city by UN troops and the subsequent failure of both Europe and the United States to intervene in the killing of thousands of innocent people still brings great shame on the international community.

Deputy Smith stated, “Srebrenica is a reminder of the importance of coordinated and proactive action by the UN and international partners when faced with the potential genocide of an innocent population. The failure of the UN to protect the designated “safe haven” during the Bosnian War was one of the most shameful events in UN history.

“On this, the 20th anniversary of the massacre, we must once again reflect on why this awful tragedy was allowed to occur. On behalf of my Party, I took part in an event to mark the massacre on July 8th in Leinster House with the Irish friends of Bosnia. I believe consideration should be given to making the commemoration of this event a more formal occasion in Ireland.”

11/07/2015  13:07