24.03.2015.
Defending itself, Serbia defended the international law
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic laid a wreath today at the monument to the victims of NATO bombing in Aleksinac, and stressed that by defending itself in 1999, Serbia also defended the law and justice, the international laws and institutions.
"Sixteen years have passed since the first NATO bombs fell on our cities and villages, and on our schools, hospitals, factories, television and barracks, even on the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, on our crops, airports, bridges and railways. When it seemed to them that it wasn’t enough, they bombarded our houses with our greatest treasure – our children", Nikolic said."By defending our territorial integrity, we defended the international principle of integrity that applies to all sovereign countries in the world, we defended the law and justice, the international laws, charters, institutions, before which we should all be equal”, Nikolic stressed.
He also underlined that even then we warned that the precedent against Serbia opened a Pandora's Box with dangerous consequences for the international community.
"Lonely and tragic, the voice of Serbia was lost in the cacophony of tyrants who tore apart the very core of the international system, first by words and decisions, and then by bombs. The consequences of arrogant decisions made 16 years ago are felt to this day around the world," he added.
Nikolic stated that Serbia remembers its tragedy, remembers its citizens, counts the innocent victims and that, as during the entire 20th century, it once again rises from the ashes.
“When we mention their past, we are being told that all that matters is a brighter future. When we mention our future, they say we do not deserve it because of our past. We are not allowed to build a brighter future for our children as long as, as they say, we do not face our past and the decisions we made; until we apologize for all they have done to us”, Nikolic said.
Then again, President continued, if all these rules apply to Serbia, do they only apply to us.
“They could at least show us that book of rules by which, sixteen years ago, they flew their planes and for days threw bombs on our country, those that to this day make our children sick; the bombs that planted discord all across the planet”, Nikolic said.
Serbia remembers and marks those days, keeps the memory of its innocent victims, assorting them with our holy martyrs, Serbian President said.
As he said, those who have not apologized, who have not faced the consequences of their lethal decisions and actions, that no court charged for their responsibility for the deadly “collateral errors”, do not deserve to be remembered or forgiven.“When, or, if they ever utter the words of apology and ask us for forgiveness, they will hear the words we have always been told by our patriarchs while bowing before the shadows of the killed on killing fields: that we should always forget but we must never forget”, President said.
As he added, the new generations, unburdened by prejudice for Serbia, can do deeds that might help soothe the families of the killed.
Serbian president specified that Aleksinac was bombarded several times; it was a collateral damage for as many as six times, and, on April 5, at 21.35, on the thirteenth day since the beginning of the aggression on the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, they hit the city center, killed 11 and wounded 50 citizens, including the Milic family: father Dragomir, mother Dragica and daughter Snezana.
“They say they aimed for the barracks near the city and that they slightly missed, due to a technical error. It is unfathomable that they should be able to miss by so much to target the children’s park, the boardwalk and the town square that are in the center of Aleksinac”, Nikolic said.
He also stressed that the order-givers, executioners, aides – they are all still alive, “some of them bomb today, and Serbia mourns, marks, grabs from oblivion and only seeks a decent humane apology from the powerful ones that bombarded a country in Europe by the end of the 20th century”.
“Was that the force, 19 states gathered in injustice, that was supposed to attack Serbia, including those countries that take pride in their tradition of justice and rights, human freedoms and democracy, liberal ideas. Is their tradition true or false? What kind of tradition gave birth to such an act?” Nikolic asked.
He stressed that Serbia to this day obeys and believes in truly significant civilization values and that the defeat of 16 years ago was in their false form.
“Perhaps we should even ask them to forgive us our sin of hoping that, one day, month, year, someone ask for forgiveness on their behalf and apologize to the families for the killed civilians, children, for all our killed citizens that were so coldly labeled as collateral error”, Nikolic warned.
As he stated, there truly was an error, but not a collateral one, but “theirs, historical and inhumane”.
The names of 24 persons who were killed in NATO bombardment are inscribed on the monument built by the people of Serbia on November 1, 1999.
Head of the General Staff of Serbia General Ljubisa Dikovic was also a member of the delegation.
The monument is located under the residential building that was build for the people whose houses had been demolished during the NATO bobmardment.
Tanjug
