In Srebrenica, 30 years after the genocide, the 'vicious circle' of denial continues
"I was not invited, and I do not see why I should go when my deputy [a Bosniak] isn't coming here," said the 37-year-old official during a small counter-ceremony he organized in a predominantly Serb neighborhood of his municipality. Decorated with Serbian flags and set to the Serbian national anthem, the event was dedicated solely to Serb victims of the war, which claimed around 100,000 lives overall between 1992 and 1995. "Serbs were killed in much more horrific ways than the Bosniaks, for example by decapitation, as seen in certain Muslim countries, but have you ever read anything about them in the international press?" Vucic exclaimed, criticizing what he described as a "double standard" from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which convicted Mladic of genocide in 2021.
It mattered little that the Serb victims commemorated on Wednesday by a few dozen Serbs gathered around the mayor of Srebrenica did not die on that precise date, or that the local commander of the Bosniak forces, whom they accuse of being responsible for their deaths, has been systematically acquitted by international and Bosnian courts. The main objective was to stage a counter-event ahead of July 11, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people this year. Several senior European officials, such as European Council President Antonio Costa and French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad, are expected to attend in this eastern Balkan town.
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LeMonde
9 hours ago
- LeMonde
In Srebrenica, 30 years after the genocide, the 'vicious circle' of denial continues
"Welcome to the Las Vegas of Bosnia, we attract at least as much attention [as the American city]." On Wednesday, July 9, the mayor of Srebrenica, Milos Vucic, displayed this peculiar sense of humor, two days before the July 11 commemorations marking the 30 th anniversary of the 1995 genocide in his city. This Bosnian Serb, who is also a cousin of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, said he would not participate in the ceremonies meant to honor the more than 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks killed in a matter of days by the forces of Serb General Ratko Mladic, in what is considered the worst massacre of civilians in Europe since the end of World War II. "I was not invited, and I do not see why I should go when my deputy [a Bosniak] isn't coming here," said the 37-year-old official during a small counter-ceremony he organized in a predominantly Serb neighborhood of his municipality. Decorated with Serbian flags and set to the Serbian national anthem, the event was dedicated solely to Serb victims of the war, which claimed around 100,000 lives overall between 1992 and 1995. "Serbs were killed in much more horrific ways than the Bosniaks, for example by decapitation, as seen in certain Muslim countries, but have you ever read anything about them in the international press?" Vucic exclaimed, criticizing what he described as a "double standard" from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which convicted Mladic of genocide in 2021. It mattered little that the Serb victims commemorated on Wednesday by a few dozen Serbs gathered around the mayor of Srebrenica did not die on that precise date, or that the local commander of the Bosniak forces, whom they accuse of being responsible for their deaths, has been systematically acquitted by international and Bosnian courts. The main objective was to stage a counter-event ahead of July 11, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people this year. Several senior European officials, such as European Council President Antonio Costa and French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad, are expected to attend in this eastern Balkan town.
Euronews
10 hours ago
- Euronews
European Commission takes no position on Kosovo-Telekom Serbia dispute
Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti has launched a renewed attack on Serbia's largest telecom operator, Telekom Serbia, accusing it of waging what he called 'a hybrid war' against Kosovo, with the company responding by saying it has been a frequent target for the authorities in Pristina. A false bomb alert triggered the evacuation of the Kosovo parliament in Pristina last week, prompting Kurti to share a Facebook post by Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla, who claimed that the phone number behind the threat was registered in Serbia and belonged to Telekom Serbia's mobile operator MTS. Kurti praised the Kosovan authorities for their 'prompt response' in the investigation and repeated his past claims that the incident reaffirmed the existence of Serbia's ongoing hybrid war against Kosovo. The company's management stated that it has been subjected to repeated attacks and pressure from Kosovo leaders in recent times. Vladimir Lučić, CEO of Telekom Serbia, strongly rejected the bomb threat incident accusations in a statement to Euronews Serbia, describing them as 'an absurd and shameful attack on a company that has long been a thorn in the side of the Pristina authorities for two years." He said the attacks are taking place almost daily as a form of wider political pressure, including a failed attempt to shut down its presence in Kosovo two years ago, which was stopped after the international community's intervention. Lučić added that Telekom Serbia operates in accordance with the law and international agreements, including the Brussels Agreement, according to which the company has 28 base stations in areas where ethnic Serbs live in Kosovo, while its headquarters and technical infrastructure are located in Belgrade. Brussels chooses not to step in A former province of Serbia, Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Belgrade has so far refused to recognise. More than 100 countries have recognised its independence — but not the likes of Russia, China and five EU member states. Since 2011, Brussels has facilitated a dialogue between the two countries designed to decrease tensions and resolve bilateral issues — which is also one of the requirements for both countries' progress along their path toward full-fledged EU membership. However, the two leaders — Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić — have failed to participate in trilateral meetings with EU representatives since May 2023, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the Brussels dialogue as a means to find solutions to outstanding issues. When asked by Euronews for a reaction to the Kosovo leader's statements on Telekom Serbia and the operator's claims of repeated attacks, the European Commission chose not to address the developing political implications but instead referred to the technical framework. "Compliance with the Kosovo regulatory framework is the responsibility of the independent regulatory authority for electronic and postal communications," the European Commission said in a statement to Euronews. Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS), said that the matter falls under the jurisdiction of Kosovo's national authorities and that telecommunications compliance is the exclusive responsibility of Kosovo's independent regulatory authority. El Anouni also recalled that under the EU-facilitated dialogue, agreements on telecommunications were reached in 2013 and 2015 to normalise operations. These agreements enabled MTS to operate legally in Kosovo. Big hopes from Washington Meanwhile, the CEO of Telekom Serbia is counting on US support to obtain a third 5G licence in Kosovo, which was agreed upon by Pristina as part of an international deal but was then repeatedly refused. Serbia has been hoping that US President Donald Trump can decrease regional friction by promoting economic cooperation and growth — something Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said last week officials in Pristina have failed to adopt. At the same time, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani praised Trump for his role in de-escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia in recent times. "We have the continued support of the United States, and President Trump was very clear that he was the person who stopped Serbia from continuing its efforts," she said at a recent event at Johns Hopkins University in Washington. "I am very convinced that (war) has been stopped thanks to America's role and its direct involvement in preserving and protecting peace," Osmani added. Meanwhile, these and other similar statements have sparked a reaction from Richard Grenell, the former US special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo negotiations, who said Osmani was misinterpreting Trump's remarks, making it seem as though Serbia was about to go on an offensive against Kosovo. "Shame on Vjosa Osmani for manipulating President Donald Trump's words," Grenell said in a post on X.
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Euronews
Nvidia to sell H20 chips to China again after US gives export approval
US tech giant Nvidia will start selling its H20 AI chip in China again after the Trump administration relaxed export restrictions. The White House gave assurances that it would grant licenses for the product in the Chinese market, the firm said on Tuesday in a blog post. The move is a U-turn for the government, which in April banned sales of the chip to China, linked to concerns that the technology could be used for military purposes. At the time, Nvidia said it had been told that the export control would stay in place for the 'indefinite future". Nvidia claimed in May that it had taken a $4.5 billion (€3.8bn) inventory cost hit in the April quarter because of the restrictions and added that it had missed out on an additional $2.5bn (€2.1bn) in sales. The announcement temporarily sent its share price plunging. The H20 chip was specifically designed for the Chinese market, in line with restrictions introduced by former president Joe Biden in 2023. When in office, Trump overhauled the Biden-era curbs but imposed restrictions on Nvidia's H20 AI chip. On Tuesday, Nvidia also announced a new China-specific AI chip it said was 'fully compliant' with export rules. Tuesday's announcement comes after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has spent months lobbying in both the US and China. Huang argued that Trump's restrictions were a 'failure' in the sense that they were boosting China's AI capabilities, notably as the market could no longer rely on American products. Exports of the chip do, however, help Chinese AI companies like DeepSeek, that use Nvidia chips to create their products. The breakthrough comes as relations between Washington and Beijing have thawed in recent weeks. Earlier this year, the Trump administration threatened a 145% duty on Chinese goods sent to the US, and Beijing responded with a 125% retaliatory tariff. The two sides decided to lower these taxes in May, and then agreed on a trade framework last month. The trade agreement seeks to ease restrictions on exports of raw materials and other critical technologies. Throughout earlier talks, Donald Trump had nonetheless suggested that curbs on the H20 AI chip wouldn't be relaxed as part of the framework. Both China and the US are seeking to find a permanent solution to replace the temporary trade truce before a 12 August deadline. Nvidia's Huang is currently in Beijing to hold talks with government officials, after meeting with President Trump last week. The CEO also announced plans to create a new graphics processing unit, the RTX PRO, for the Chinese market, which he said is fully compliant with US export controls.
