Srebrenica mayor Mladen Grujicic said in a commemorative session on Monday that July 11 and 12 are the days of sadness in Srebrenica, and he paid his respects to all the victims in that eastern Bosnian town. He also clarified his previous comments on the Mothers of Srebrenica association, saying that what he said referred to one person only.

“We are aware of what Srebrenica is and that it is not easy to live here and that every word is being weighed. Both the Serbs and the Bosniaks here are reaching agreements for the benefit of all citizens. We are witnesses that Srebrenica needs help to economically survive. In these days of sadness and pain for all Srebrenica people, I would like to pay my respects to the victims. Where there is a crime, there is a criminal, but prosecutors are not doing their work and there is no justice,” Grujicic said in a session, which was not attended by Bosniak councilors.

It is a duty, Grujicic added, to leave the peace to the future generations, who will deal with projects for a better future.

The statement comes days after Grujicic spoke to a Serbian daily, accusing a local Bosniak association of victims of being an “engine of hatred among people.”

Mayor says Mothers of Srebrenica are engine of hatred among people

“We still understand their pain, and they still don't understand ours,” Grujicic said, sparking strong reactions.

In a joint statement, the Movement of the Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves, the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, the Association of Podrinje Women, the Mothers of Srebrenica Association and the Women of Srebrenica Association asked Grujicic “why today,” when they are seeing off the mortal remains of their beloved ones to Potocari.

“Because, Grujicic, your hatred is apparently much stronger than all other human feelings,” the associations said, stressing that they hate no one but are proud of managing to prove that genocide happened.

Asked to comment on his earlier statement, Grujicic clarified that he did not mean all mothers of Srebrenica in general but one person in particular

“I didn't mean to offend anyone, but only Munira Subasic who hates everyone and who call me a fascist, I never meant all mothers of Srebrenica. She was the one who said I was a fascist,” Grujicic told N1, referring to the head of the Movement of the Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves.

“She has a reason, maybe it is justified. She might have lost a son. But, she hates and I am speaking to her,” he added.

The remains of another 30 victims will be buried this week at the Potocari Memorial Centre, with the youngest victim aged 15 at the time of the death and other two juvenile victims aged 16 and 17.

Over 8,000 persons were killed in the genocide, mainly men and boys. To date, the remains of 6,652 have been buried at the Potocari memorial. The remains of 237 have been buried elsewhere according to their families’ wishes.

For the Srebrenica genocide, the Hague war crimes tribunal sentenced to life former Bosnian Serb political and military leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.