"SREBRENICA FLOWER" DOES NOT BELONG IN FRONT OF UN BUILDING IN NEW YORK

BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 19 /SRNA/ – Former Serbian ambassador to the UN Branko Branković said that the installation of the "Srebrenica Flower" monument in the park in front of the UN headquarters in New York is an act of desperation aimed at presenting something untrue as a fact, and emphasized that the key question is who within the UN authorized such an action.

Branković stated that Bosniaks clearly seek to attribute an alleged genocide in Srebrenica to the Serbs, for which there is no evidence.

"None of this could have passed at official meetings of the General Assembly or any other UN body," Branković told SRNA.

He underlined the importance of knowing what is written in the explanation accompanying the monument's installation, adding that it is nonsense if it is based on what was adopted in last year's resolution in May.

"The Srebrenica Resolution, which did not receive the votes of even half of the UN's 193 member states, revealed many things contrary to what those erecting this monument claim," Branković said.

He stressed that a serious question arises - who in the UN authorized it, and under whose initiative, and noted that Serbia’s Mission in New York will seek basic information on the matter.

"All these statements about how `the truth must stand permanently in front of the UN` and how `the memory must remain` are empty phrases if they do not have full support within the UN," Branković said.

He recalled that when the UN was founded and construction of the headquarters began, a monument was placed there with the consent of all states, bearing the inscription: "Let us break our swords and turn them into plows."

"That was clear and everyone understood its meaning. It corresponded to the essence of the UN, whereas this what is happening now with this monument undermines that very essence, because it is based on something that not only has not been accepted by the entire international community but is, in fact, untrue," Branković emphasized.

The "Srebrenica Flower" memorial was unveiled in the park in front of the UN building in New York in the presence of the Bosniak and Croat members of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić, the BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković, and the head of the "Mothers of Srebrenica" association Munira Subašić.