Showing posts with label HERZEGOVINA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HERZEGOVINA. Show all posts

Saturday, July 12, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY'S STATEMENT ON ANNIVERSARY OF SREBRENICA GENOCIDE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

19th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide

Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 11, 2014


This day is about more than keeping alive the memory of the 8,000 men and boys who were savagely murdered in Srebrenica on July 11, 1995. It is about recommitting ourselves to a cause of conscience and conviction – and to say loudly and clearly, “no more, never again.”
As a Senator, I remember watching with horror as news reports poured in describing cycle after cycle of tragic, bloody violence. I was on the Senate floor days later demanding that we not abandon the Bosnians in the wake of this tragedy. As someone who has seen the brutality of war firsthand, the lesson of Srebrenica cut especially deep: The western world could not help write the war-torn nation’s epitaph -- we needed to help it survive.

The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is over, but our cause for action now is the same: All of us have a responsibility to bear witness to atrocity. Working with the global community, the United States will steadfastly oppose policies of hate and discrimination anywhere and everywhere they rear their heads. We will work for the day when such policies never again lead to the bloodshed and human misery that shocked the conscience of the world in Srebrenica.
The United States is committed to ensuring justice for those who died. With each passing year, we are inspired by the family members of the victims as they find the courage to heal the wounds of the past and rebuild their communities.

Today of all days, we honor the victims. We draw strength from their courage, and we remember the responsibility that we all share to work for tolerance, peace, and understanding this day and every day the world over.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

U.S. ANNOUNCES CIVILIAN LANDMINE TEAM SENT TO SERBIA, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Civilian Landmine Team Deploys to Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina To Support Local Efforts in Landmine-Contaminated Areas Affected by Widespread Flooding

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 25, 2014


The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement is deploying the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), a group of civilian explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts, to Serbia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The QRF will arrive May 26 and work with local officials of both the Serbian and BiH Mine Action Centers to survey landmine-contaminated areas affected by the recent widespread floods. Heavy rains in the Balkans have caused widespread flooding that has led to the possible shifting and uncovering of some of the 120,000 landmines remaining from the 1992-1995 conflict associated with the break-up of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The flood waters also may have washed away many of the markers delineating the minefields. Efforts are currently in place by the local authorities to begin mapping the most affected areas and informing their communities about the imminent danger posed by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Residents in flood-affected areas are reporting discoveries of mines and UXO. On May 21, a landmine dislodged by the devastating floods near the town of Brcko, BiH exploded underwater, but caused no damage or casualties. The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina estimates that 320 square kilometers of the flood zones are potentially contaminated by shifting mines or UXO. In Serbia, preliminary reporting from the Serbian Mine Action Center indicates that a similar problem with the shifting and uncovering of numerous landmines and explosive ordnance has occurred. Local commercial demining companies and both the Serbian and BiH Armed Forces demining units are very well versed in regular demining operations, but they will be facing clearance operations in unfamiliar circumstances – assessing large areas, clearing mines from landslides, and conducting underwater demining.

Since 2008, the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has deployed QRF teams to countries including Congo-Brazzaville, Cyprus, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, and Vietnam to address emergency issues related to the removal or mitigation of abandoned or otherwise at-risk conventional weapons and munitions, landmines, and unexploded ordnance. Also, since 1993, the United States has invested more than $2.3 billion in more than 90 countries around the world to reduce the harmful effects of the explosive remnants of conventional weapons in post-conflict environments, including more than $96.7 million in BiH, and over $15.7 million in Serbia.

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