UN criticised over Srebrenica massacre, 'no evidence of direct Milosevic role'

1.00pm - By STEPHEN CASTLES

BRUSSELS - An official report into Europe's worst massacre since the Second World War may have undermined the prosecution case against Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague by finding no evidence that the former Yugoslav president was directly involved.

The main conclusions of the report commissioned by the Dutch government in 1996 and researched by the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation, blame Dutch peacekeepers and the United Nations (UN) for the massacre of around 7,000 Bosnian Muslims in the "safe haven" of Srebrenica in 1995.

The UN had said it would protect any Muslim who took sanctuary there.

But the findings, certain to provoke a new round of soul-searching in the Netherlands, could also be an important new element in the defence of Mr Milosevic, who faces genocide charges at a UN war crimes tribunal. The court yesterday set a one-year limit to wrap up the prosecution case against the former president.

The document on Srebrenica, which runs to more than 7,600 pages, is highly sensitive in the Netherlands, where many feel a collective guilt over the massacre. Around 200 lightly armed Dutch soldiers failed to prevent non-Serb males being rounded up and taken off to execution sites.

Hans Blom, director of the Netherlands institute, was reported to have said that the Dutch government and the UN disregarded the danger of mass killings once Srebrenica was overrun by Serb troops.

"The broad circle of those involved with this policy, and particularly its advocates, must bear a considerable responsibility for disregarding the difficulties once the behaviour of the warring factions got out of hand," Professor Blom was quoted as saying on The Guardian website.

The institute's report said the Dutch soldiers were inadequate in number and armament, and had no clear instructions on how to carry out the pledge of safety to Muslim refugees.

The findings identify the Bosnian Serb commander General Ratko Mladic as the main villain, arguing that he ordered and supervised the evacuation of Muslim men from the enclave, later overseeing the murder of thousands. General Mladic has been charged with genocide by the UN court but remains at large.

The federal parliament in Belgrade was in the process yesterday of approving legislation providing the legal framework for the extradition to The Hague of indicted suspects, including Gen Mladic, who has a residence in the Yugoslav capital.

Professor Blom said: "The events that occurred cannot be described as an act of vengeance that got out of hand. Although they occurred rapidly and in an improvised way, the scale and course of the murders clearly indicate they were organised. Places of executions were sought, transport was arranged and troops were ordered to carry out executions."

More contentious are the conclusions on Mr Milosevic. His political ambitions are blamed for the disintegration of Yugoslavia which preceded the Bosnian war from 1992-5.

But the Dutch inquiry found no evidence Mr Milosevic had a direct role in the massacre, and concluded that the involvement of Bosnian leader Radovan Karadzic, who has also been indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal but remains at large, is unclear.

Professor Blom said: "As the supreme commander, Karadzic formally ordered the separation of Srebrenica and Zepa, and later the capture of the entire enclave. However, it is unclear whether he was informed in advance about the mass murders. Karadzic's relations with Mladic were poor and they did not communicate effectively. No evidence has been found that suggests the involvement of the Serbian authorities in Belgrade."

A spokeswoman for Carla Del Ponte, chief prosecutor at the UN tribunal in The Hague, refused to comment yesterday on how the findings would affect Mr Milosevic's trial. However the massacre at Srebrenica is at the centre of the genocide charge against him because the tribunal has already convicted the Bosnian Serb general Radovan Krstic of genocide for his actions there.

Pinning responsibility on Mr Milosevic was always going to be a difficult for Ms Del Ponte. Her task is not helped by the report – which also criticised the "inadequate resources and the policy of the UN" – but she may have access to evidence not available to the Dutch inquiry, including intelligence intercepts.

- INDEPENDENT, HERALD STAFF

Netherlands Institute for War Documentation


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