Although official Serbia reacted strongly to the announcements of the Government of Montenegro that it would submit two amendments to the United Nations (UN) Resolution on Srebrenica, and the Montenegrin non-governmental sector asked the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to publicly announce and explain them, is only the mandate of the Movement Europe now Jelena Nedović announced that the amendments were submitted "through" the United States of America.
It was unofficially announced to "Vijesti" the day before yesterday that the Government of Montenegro plans to submit two amendments to the Resolution on Srebrenica, in order to "achieve better relations and calm political tension in the region".
The first amendment to the preamble of the Resolution allegedly reads "reiterating that guilt for the crime of genocide is individualized and cannot be attributed to any ethnic, religious or other group or community as a whole", and the second "confirming the inviolability of the general framework agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina" in all its provisions”.
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Such a move by Podgorica, which has not yet officially declared whether it will vote for the resolution or not, the newly minted head of Serbian diplomacy Marko Djuric he assessed it as "cleansing of conscience" so that it would not appear to the public in Montenegro "that they are against fraternal Serbia", indirectly threatening to review relations with Podgorica.
"Serbia will measure according to the relationship related to this resolution who is friendly, who we can consider a friend, and who a partner. We will fight for new friends, but we will make a difference", said Đurić.
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The highest officials in Belgrade and Banja Luka and their media have been claiming for weeks that the UN Resolution is directed against the Serbian people, Serbia and Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which wants to be declared genocidal, even though no country or people in its current version they don't mention.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Filip Ivanovic yesterday, he responded to Đurić with a statement in "Vijesti" that Montenegro is guided exclusively by its own interests in its foreign policy, and warned him that it will treat other countries according to the principle of reciprocity.
Ivanovic said that he understands that "in the first days of the mandate, hasty moves can happen, as happened last night when (Đurić) commented on unofficial information regarding the text of the UN Resolution on Srebrenica".
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"Also, I thank him for emphasizing the principles in conducting the foreign policy of the Republic of Serbia, which are nothing new in international relations. Namely, Montenegro also inherits the same principles in its foreign policy. To make it clearer: Montenegro is guided exclusively by its own interests, not those of others, in conducting its foreign policy. "Also, Montenegro will treat other countries exactly the way those countries treat Montenegro," Ivanovic told "Vijesta".
Đurić announced last night that it is extremely unusual that "on a sensitive topic of wider importance for regional stability and security, the closest neighbors to whom the topic directly relates are not consulted" and emphasized that "he believes that it is an oversight, and not an expressed political intention”.
Former Vice President of the Assembly Branka Bosniak (PzP), which supported the Resolution on Srebrenica in the Montenegrin Parliament in 2021 even though colleagues from the then Democratic Front voted against it, told "Vijesti" that the UN Resolution is clear, "whoever wants to read it and not fall for manipulations politicians, who abuse it unscrupulously for daily political purposes".
"Everything is clear, and no amendments are needed. I see them as an attempt at a screen to appease and cover up different views within the ruling majority. It only speaks of the lack of statesmanship and the immaturity of those who lead our country, led by the prime minister. You can't play on all sides, you have to be clear and principled, no matter how unpopular it may have been," said Bošnjak.
She assessed that the Government should have a clear and consistent foreign policy based on democratic principles and the interests of Montenegro, especially in these moments when dangerous mega-state projects are once again taking place in the region.
"Unfortunately, this is not the case with this Government, we already have dissonant positions for, for Montenegro, very important initiatives. Even within PES we have different views. All that is not good," Bošnjak said.
Commenting on Đurić's statement, Bošnjak said that "we should conduct foreign policy in the interest of Montenegro, and that EU integration should be a priority":
"How the head of Serbian diplomacy will interpret it is less important."
Answering the question of whether she expects Montenegro to support the resolution, regardless of the amendments, Bošnjak said that she should vote for the resolution, "if we truly want to be part of the civilized world":
"Because, I repeat, it is directed only at criminals who have committed crimes and who are now desperately trying to hide behind the people. That is why it is important that they be brought to justice and convicted, because dealing with crimes is a step towards forgiveness and regional stability, as well as fostering a culture of remembrance for all the innocent victims, and in Srebrnica, unfortunately, there were thousands of them," said Bošnjak.
While representatives of the opposition support the Resolution and its co-sponsorship by Montenegro, dissonant tones are heard from representatives of the government.
Nedovic said that with the amendments the Government respects the victims, but also prevents the branding of the people due to the crimes of individuals, and that the goal is to prevent manipulations that often serve certain socio-political factors for internal needs.
"Their exponents persistently upload and comment on what is not written and then argue with their thesis, wanting to create a perception in the public that is not realistic and based on facts. Thus, yesterday, extremist analysts close to the former regime ran to insult the proponents and the amendments themselves, which respect the victims of genocide, individualize the guilt, and affirm the Dayton Peace Agreement, and thus the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Republika Srpska as an entity in it".
She said that it is interesting that at the same time some individuals from Belgrade, known for applause, are not satisfied with the amendments, saying that they are in the service to "wash the conscience in front of the domestic audience".
President of the Parliament of Montenegro Andrija Mandic (NSD) said recently that by voting for the resolution on Srebrenica, Montenegro would blame the entire Serbian people.
Mandić said on the X social network that he expects Spajić to carefully assess the situation and take care of the vital interests of the country and the people who live in it.
"I truly believe that Spajić does not think that the Serbs are a genocidal nation, because I don't see why he would sign a coalition agreement on cooperation with representatives of an allegedly "genocidal nation", said Mandić, saying that he would discuss this with the prime minister and the parliamentary majority "in order to reached an agreement that will be acceptable to all".
President of the Democratic People's Party Milan Knezevic recently announced that the Prime Minister does not have his support for Montenegro to vote for the Resolution on Srebrenica, and that he informed Spajić about this.
"If by any chance I were in his place, I would vote against it, and the whole of Montenegro knows that," Knežević said.
He announced that Montenegro must vote against the Resolution, not only for Serbia's sake, but also for its own sake, "because if it votes for the Resolution, it will condemn itself to genocide", as well as that the intention of the Resolution "is to brand us with collective guilt and marked as a genocidal nation".
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Neither the DNP nor the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) answered the question of "Vijesti" whether they will withhold support for the Government, if it supports the Resolution on Srebrenica.
Deputy Prime Minister and the Socialist People's Party (SNP) Dragoslav Šcekić recently announced that Montenegro should not support the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide in the UN, stating that this could further raise tensions in the region and in the country.
In a letter sent to Spajić yesterday, the coalition of NGOs asked for a statement on whether the Government proposes amendments to the Resolution, and if so, to publish and explain the text of those amendments with arguments.
"In particular, we demand from Prime Minister Spajić that when declaring about possible amendments, he should also announce whether Montenegro will co-sponsor the resolution on Srebrenica or not, and if not, why not, and whether it is being questioned in any way Montenegro's vote on the resolution in case the amendments are not adopted", states the letter of the NGO coalition.
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The opposition wants the Government to announce its clear position on the Resolution.
President of the Bosniak Party Ervin Ibrahimovic, he asked Spajić whether Montenegro would support the Resolution at the session of the UN General Assembly "and thus once again stand on the same side as countries with developed democracy and respect for rights".
Spajić will answer that question at the Prime Minister's Hour, which is scheduled for Thursday, May 9.
"Instead of tactlessly and unskillfully, and when it doesn't have the courage to find itself in the company of several dozen countries that co-sponsored the United Nations (UN) Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, the Government should tighten its grip and finally announce its clear position on this, not a political, but an ethical issue," said the president of the Social Democrats Damir Sehovic.
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He said that any further political manipulation and proposing amendments on matters that are not mentioned at all in the Resolution would be a humiliation not only of the Government, but of the country it represents, which has already announced its attitude towards this topic in 2021 in the Parliament of Montenegro. by adopting the Resolution on the prohibition of denying the genocide in Srebrenica.
DPS: The government would like to please Vučić and Dodik, PES: Hypocrisy of DPS
The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) announced yesterday that the Government did not find it appropriate to inform the citizens about the position according to the UN Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, but is trying to distribute information in a dosed manner in order to achieve the impossible - to please (Aleksandar) Vučić and (Milorad) Dodiku, on the one hand, and on the other respects the European position on the Resolution.
It was announced that the calculation, in the form of an amendment to the Resolution on Srebrenica, represents a clumsy conduct of foreign policy, which has already received a response from Belgrade, from the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Đurić.
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PES responded that the evolution of the DPS from a "war-mongering party to a Euro-Atlantic party, as well as the messages they are sending today, would make sense if the "reformist" forces had irreversibly distanced themselves from the long-standing president, who has the burden of responsibility for the horrors of war behind him. throughout the former Yugoslavia, but also political alliances with Dodik and Vučić, which they now attribute to others".
They announced that it is hypocritical that those who "sponsored the tanks with fuel during the horrors in Srebrenica" are calling for the co-sponsorship of the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica.
"If there is agreement that nations are not responsible for the crimes of genocide, but individuals, as stated in the judgments of international courts, then we see no reason why anyone would be bothered by the initiative to specify responsibility in that direction?", PES announced. .
Bosniak: They stigmatize their people with falsehoods about collective responsibility
A Bosniak, explaining why she supported the Resolution on Srebrenica in the Parliament in 2021, said that her vote for the resolution was logical, as someone who "remained consistent in her basic ethical principles, and someone who clearly expressed an anti-war stance in the 90s and opposed the pernicious inciting nationalist projects, and as a legalist who respects the decisions of the international court".
"I considered that and I consider it an act of civilization, because even that resolution, although politically motivated at that moment, and this UN - do not condemn the people, but the individuals responsible for the crime".
She pointed out that "by blindly manipulating the feelings of the people, certain politicians, abusing their position and just for the sake of political points, are trying to market their blind lie about the collective responsibility of the people as the truth."
"It is they who, by doing so, stigmatize their people and label them as genocidal. If they had directed only part of that energy to the protection and culture of memory of the innocent suffering of their people, they would have done something useful. "No nation can be genocidal, the responsibility is individual, because the perpetrators of such crimes are trying to hide behind the collectivity," Bošnjak said.
She expects that the UN will soon propose a resolution on the genocide "which is happening right now against the Palestinian people, because all this would be hypocritical if that genocide is not clearly condemned, regardless of the fact that some world powers run away from this recognition".
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