The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, convened the Third Sitting of the First Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2010, for Tuesday, 30 March 2010, starting at 11 a.m.

The National Assembly adopted a one-item agenda:

1. The Declaration of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Condemning the Crime in Srebrenica, submitted by a group of 114 deputies, under urgent procedure.

At the beginning of the session, National Assembly Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic informed the deputies that she expects the declaration proposal on the crimes perpetrated against the Serbian people on the territory of former Yugoslavia, the text of which is currently being drafted, to soon be on the National Assembly’s agenda.

On the behalf of the submitters, deputy groups For European Serbia, G17 Plus, Party of United Pensioners and Socialist Party, the Declaration Proposal was elaborated by Nada Kolundzija, head of the Deputy Group For European Serbia. She stressed that the adoption of the declaration would put an end to this tragic chapter of recent history and open new perspectives for the future generations, as well as restore Serbia’s credibility and reputation.

The document’s basic message is that Serbia does not stand behind the perpetrators of the crime, that it does not distinguish between victims and that it values each victim equally, Kolundzija said stressing that the declaration sends the message that the National Assembly condemns the crime in Srebrenica and extends condolences to the families of the victims, as well as that it would do everything to make sure that the perpetrators of the crime are found and processed. It is the deputies’ grave responsibility to pass the resolution condemning the crime in Srebrenica, which shall be a crossroads on Serbia’s way to a modern, democratic and European society.

By condemning the crime in Srebrenica against the Bosnian population and honouring the victims, we take the responsibility of removing from the future generations this heavy burden left to us by certain individuals, because the guilt is not collective, but individual. Passing the declaration is in the Serbian people’s best interest and it is its moral duty to distance itself from the crime, Nada Kolundzija stressed.

In the unified discussion, numerous deputies pointed out that a declaration should be passed condemning all the crimes on the territory of the former SFRY without discriminating between the location of the crime, nationality of the victim and perpetrators, including the crime in Srebrenica. Condemning the crime, the deputies stated that they did not defend any criminals and that responsibility should be determined for every crime. They objected to double the standards that would mark future generations with an indelible stigma. This diminishes the victims of their own people because the crimes in Bratunac, Sarajevo and in operations Storm and Flash and other are no smaller. Adopting a special declaration on one crime and forgetting the others, as well as the sentence of the International Court of Justice qualifying this crime as genocide is “proof of someone’s clearing of conscience”, it was said in the discussion as well as that this qualification has no basis in either fact of international law.

Following the unified discussion, the National Assembly Speaker set Wednesday 31 March as Voting Day, starting at 12,20 a.m.

On Voting Day the National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Condemning the Crime in Srebrenica by 127 deputy votes.