Méres pour la Paix reported on a number of small-scale economic projects and training programmes. They have set these up to provide skills and income generation for people in collective centres and returnees to Republika Srpska. Examples are a dairy producing milk and yoghurt in Zivinice, a raspberry growing project, which has attracted an EU grant, in the Zvornik region, and a project to provide isolated women with cows, sheep and chickens.

Armelle Bederiat reported on a pedagogical project set up by French teachers to increase self-esteem among children in collective centres. The projects involved the children in, for example, writing and producing newspapers, and are very successful. Local co-ordinators are now continuing the projects in three centres, Tinja, Grab Potok and Sanski Brod.

With SSVDS, Méres pour la Paix have been following the French Parliamentary Enquiry into Srebrenica (see next item), and are planning to attend a meeting with the rapporteur for the enquiry on 8^th June.

Méres pour la Paix are organising a bus that will go to Bosnia for the sixth anniversary of the fall of Srebrenica. Travel dates 7^th – 15^th July.

Julie Wornan (SSVDS) reported on the French Parliamentary Enquiry into the fall of Srebrenica.

The enquiry (Mission d’Information), composed of 10 members of the National Assembly’s Commissions on Foreign Affairs and Defence, was created on Novermber 15^th 2000, as a result of lobbying by the organisation Médecins sans Frontières (MSF). The key questions to be addressed by the enquiry, which continues until the end of June, are:

The enquiry has heard evidence from French and international figures including the then French Prime Minister Alain Juppe, Joris Voorhoeve and Hans van Mierlo (Dutch Defence and Foreign Ministers at the time) and Yasushi Akashi. The decision to hear evidence from French Generals’ Morillon and Janvier behind closed doors, excluding press and public, generated angry protests. It is widely believed that Janvier’s evidence is key to answering the questions regarding the failure to authorize airstrikes. The justification offered by the enquiry, that the closed hearings were necessary so as not to compromise the Hague Tribunal, was promptly denied by the Tribunal itself.

MSF believe that it is important for British General Rupert Smith to give evidence to the enquiry. However, requests submitted to the British Ministry of Defence have not been answered. The meeting discussed the possibility of involving British journalists and politicians in a campaign to get Smith to testify.

Further information on the enquiry (in French) can be found on the MSF website:

http://www.paris.msf.org/srebrenica

Discussion on the missing, exhumation and identification

The meeting received activity updates from ICMP (International Commission on Missing Persons) including a report on the new DNA identification project.

Erna Rijsdijk expressed concern that media reports on Srebrenica tend to quote figures obtained from the Hague Tribunal on the number of bodies exhumed. The Tribunal carried out only limited exhumations in order to gain evidence for prosecution, so these figures may give a misleadingly low impression of the number of dead. It was agreed that although exact figures for the number of missing may never be known, good estimates are available from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Commission on Missing Persons in Sarajevo. However the meeting felt that the work of ICMP, which is now responsible for co-ordinating exhumation and identification, is insufficiently known. Murray Hoad (SJC) pointed out that refugees from Srebrenica living in the UK, who would like to take part in the DNA identification project, lack information on how they can do so.

It was agreed that Erna will write a short report explaining the source and provenance of the various figures, for circulation and publishing on the internet. Meanwhile, ICMP can be contacted at:

Alipašina 45a, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Phone: +387 33 263-140, Fax: +387 33 203-297

icmp@bih.net.ba

 Civil Presence Project

The main part of the meeting focussed on the Nederland-Werkgroep Srebrenica project for a Civil Presence in Srebrenica, and on the possibility of extending this to include volunteers from other countries, starting with the UK. Dave Lawrence took the following notes at the meeting.

To date seven people have returned to Srebrenica itself, while more have returned to surrounding villages. On May 3rd 70 people returned to visit Srebrenica, some with a view to eventual long-term return. The attitude to returnees to Srebrenica has been very mixed - so foreign civilians are required to reduce tensions. The function of the volunteers is not to provide security, nor primarily to aid with reconstruction. Ten volunteers are wanted at any one time. Volunteers stay for two months.

The starting point is contact with Bosniacs - commitment comes from them. The project is open to contact with all people of goodwill, including Serbs. The situation in Srebrenica is that there is 90% unemployment & many destroyed houses. Serbs living there have great insecurity and may be required to move at any time, and this is also a cause of tension. Returnees tend to be older people. They don’t feel accepted, but some older Serbs accept them. Some people may not stay if others do not join them.

Threats have occurred, but are limited. The police force is nominally multiethnic, but includes only one Bosniac. SFOR are only there Monday to Friday! The decision was made not to seek SFOR guarantees of safety for the volunteers since these could not realistically be provided and would not extended to the returnees. Volunteers receive training in security issues and are provided with transport so that they can leave if necessary.

The project started in February 2001. It started with one co-ordinator and two volunteers. There are three volunteers there now. The second co-ordinator is planned in June. The project is funded by the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs for three years.

The first step was constructing housing for the volunteers, based on former houses of women from Srebrenica. A Bosnian Croat & a Serb were involved in this work. A tools loan system for reconstruction has now been set up and is now providing tools to villages around Srebrenica - returnees need tools to clear their houses. Other activities include English classes and computer classes. Contact has been made with a Dutch builders/reconstruction group. There are plans to reconstruct a meeting place/ park in the town centre in September.

There is now a meeting house for Bosniacs to visit, and mix with Serbs. Music lessons are being provided. From July there will be work with a youth group - this will require musical instruments. There are plans to establish a cinema - perhaps later. There is a need for counselling – Amica (German/Swiss/Italian organisation with projects in Tuzla and Srebrenica) do this. Counselling work is not suitable for the volunteers because they only stay for two months and could not provide continuity.

A video (Dutch TV programme) showing aspects of the project was shown, which highlighted some of the considerations necessary for the project and its participants. They need to be aware of Bosniac sensitivity towards some Serbs and should always refer to Bosniac opinions before involving Serbs. The approach to Serbs is the carrot, not the stick. Economic incentives are used to encourage Serbs to co-operate. This is making a local impact - Serbian women are approaching the volunteers for support with their projects - but priority must go to Bosniacs and particularly projects that encourage co-operation.

The co-ordinators provide the continuity & direction for the volunteers. They review contacts made, resolve difficulties and guide the quality of the work. The volunteers have to be guided and instructed not to be too generous. They must be 25 - 70, healthy, stable, not too over confident about the project, listen well, know 200 words of Bosnian, be able to put away their own agenda, not have too big an ego, have two months available, have suitable skills, be able to create a support group. Each volunteer must put together a support group. This can be a church, wider family, colleagues. It will be an audience to address on return. They should be willing/able to write/talk to the media about their experiences. Volunteers (or their support group) must pay for most of their expenses. Training will include understanding cultural differences, understanding & coping with trauma, dealing with their own stress. There will be a debriefing after returning with a skilled, outside, professional person. Volunteers must sign a contract absolving the project of damages. Insurance will be arranged.

The Dutch project can provide some financial support for a foreign (non-Dutch) presence in Srebrenica. The Dutch government funding expects this. The project expects to see 60 volunteers a year. A UK group could set up a support group as the first step and then look for volunteers. The first step must be setting up the support group - only when this is established will we look for volunteers. The question was asked - could additional funding support more volunteers. However the limiting factor on the project is likely to be the numbers of returning Bosniacs. Thirty volunteers have been approved at present. The initiative of the refugees themselves is the only way to organise returns. Abel suggested that the training function could be based on himself and one UK representative.

The decision was made to set up a UK steering group of three or four individuals. The steering group should consist of people with a good awareness of the situation in Bosnia, and knowledge and experience of conflict resolution. The steering group will work in close co-operation with Werkgroep Nederland-Srebrenica to set up the infrastructure for recruiting, training and supporting volunteers.

A highly successful reception for meeting participants at the University of Westminster was organised by Jasmina Turajlić and Miranda Sidran of the Bosnian Embassy, Sheyla Osmanović of the Diplomatic Academy of London, and Vesna Ružička of the Srebrenica Justice Campaign.

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