Remembering the Fall of Zepa--One of Six U.N. Declared ``Safe Havens'' in Bosnia

REMEMBERING THE FALL OF ZEPA--ONE OF SIX U.N. DECLARED ``SAFE HAVENS'' IN BOSNIA -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 25, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH
OF NEW JERSEY
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008

* Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, on July 25, 1995, Zepa, one of the six ``safe havens'' that the U.N. declared during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fell to the Army of Republika Srpska. This happened 2 weeks after U.N. forces abandoned the Srebrenica ``safe haven'' to the same force, which committed genocide by killing 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, and raping an unknown number of Bosniak women.

* Madam Speaker, before the war Zepa was a village of great natural beauty. Three thousand people lived there, and 750 children attended its primary school. Today the village is a standing reminder of the evil history of ethnic cleansing: only about 500 returnees live there and most of them are unemployed.

* On July 11th of this year hundreds of diplomats and members of the international community joined thousands of Bosnian mourners and elected officials to mark the 13th anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica. Madam Speaker, tomorrow let us mark July 25th with the same solemnity and remember the victims of Zepa. Let us share the painful memories of the horror that befell the village 13 years ago and let us never forget that only justice and democratic governance will lead to a stable and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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