High Representative Valentin Inzko met yesterday in Sarajevo with Adama Dieng, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide.
In the wake of the recent verdicts of the ICTY, they exchanged views on the reconciliation deficit that is impacting Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.
They expressed concern about the fact that twenty two years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, not enough has been done by key political leaders to acknowledge the suffering of innocent civilians/victims of other nationalities.
The High Representative outlined that it is extremely damaging for the reconciliation process in Bosnia and Herzegovina when prominent political figures negate genocide and other war crimes. “I am very much concerned about the increasing tendency to glorify war criminals, deny genocide and war crimes in general. Such unacceptable rhetoric would disqualify anyone who claims to aspire to European values and norms,” said the High Representative.
The Special Adviser and the High Representative emphasized the importance of key stakeholders to redouble their efforts around preventive work and sustaining peace.