Toespraak van minister Koenders tijdens de 20e herdenking van de val van Srebrenica

Toespraak | 11-07-2015

Your Excellencies, Mayor Duraković, ladies and gentlemen,

Today we commemorate the thousands of innocent men and boys - your men and boys - who were killed here in Srebrenica, 20 years ago today. The genocide committed here is a pitch-dark part of our European history. We stand here today in Potocari humble, in front of you, the wives, the mothers, the friends and to pay the deepest respect to the loved ones you lost. The international community failed to offer adequate protection to the people living in the so-called safe areas, including Srebrenica. As part of that community, the Dutch government shares political responsibility for the situation in which this could occur. And that is why, after a thorough study into what happened, the Dutch cabinet resigned in 2002. Our deepest conviction is that justice has to be done and the war criminals who took Srebrenica and who are responsible for the massacre are tried and convicted.   

The Dutch feel deep sympathy with the people of Srebrenica. A tragedy like this must never happen again. The horrible events of July 1995 have strengthened our determination to embrace the lessons learned, to promote reconciliation, to strenghten UN peacekeeping in an unsafe world and to never forget; to keep the memory of those who fell alive. The atrocity that occurred here must never be forgotten, neither by our generation nor the next. After 20 years, it is still cause for emotional debates. Here, of course, but also in my own country. Nobody can undo what happened here. But we mourn with you. And today, on behalf of all Dutch people, I mourn with you.

Living with this memory is hard. And it is even harder to find words for what is unspeakable. But a young Bosnian poet, Nihad Nino Catic, did find words. In the last lines in one of his poems, he addresses the River Drina:

River, show them now.
Show how someone poisoned you.
Show.
Let it be seen
As far as the Black Sea.
A time will come when people
Will feel the shame of what has happened.

We cannot free you from your grief. But we can and will continue to help you find and identify the people - your fathers and your sons - who are still missing today. The Netherlands will continue to support the International Commission on Missing Persons, to help identify those who haven't yet been found.

In spite of the tragedy 20 years ago, which still lives on in our hearts and minds, I can also see hope resurrected. With Mayor Duraković I agree that it is our common duty to provide a perspective for future generations.

Peace, we have learned, can never be taken for granted. Sometimes it is all too fragile. And once it is disrupted, restoring it may come at a great cost. Therefore, we must renew our commitment to peace every day. We commemorate the men, young and old, who died here 20 years ago. Innocent lives lost. Our tribute today is to them and those who they left behind.

Thank you.