Dutch soldiers visit families of people killed in Srebrenica massacre

(17 Oct 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of mothers of men and boys of those who died at Srebrenica walking along road on way to the meeting
2. Wide shot of mothers showing the pictures of their dead
3. Close of photo
4. Wide of women in meeting room
5. Women sitting at the table with their arms folded
6. Close up of women
7. Mid of Dutch soldiers
8. Woman shouting and pointing with a pen
9. Various of people's faces
10. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Munira Subasic, mother of Srebrenica victim
"Why did you drink and dance after the massacre? Why did you celebrate this? Together with Mladic and Karadzic and the army from Serbia."
11. Close up of Dutch soldier
12. Close up of female Dutch soldier
13. SOUNDBITE (Bosnian) Sabra Mujic, mother of boy killed at Srebrenica
"This is only thing I have of my son. (she holds up photo of her son) I don't have anything else. What did you do then?"
14. SOUNDBITE (Dutch) Acce Anakota, Dutch soldier who served in Bosnian war
"I do apologise and I regret that this happened. It affects me a lot. But you have to know that we were not prepared for the kind of pressure that we were put through in Srebrenica."
15. Wide shot of widow shouting, UPSOUND (Bosnian) "Where are our dearest? Explain!"
16. Close up of widow shouting at Dutch soldiers, UPSOUND (Bosnian) "You will not leave this place until you explain what happened."
17. Wide shot of widows showing photo of their families
18. Close up of photo
19. Wide shot of former Dutch headquarters in Srebrenica
STORYLINE
A group of Dutch solders who served as peacekeepers in Srebrenica on Wednesday met the widows and mothers of the victims who they were supposed to protect when the massacre happened during the Bosnian war.
The soldiers were on a three day visit to the massacre site.
During the meeting one woman questioned the soldiers as to why they failed to protect her loved ones.
"Why did you drink and dance after the massacre? Why did you celebrate this? Together with Mladic and Karadzic and army from Serbia," Munira Subasic said.
Some women held photographs of people they lost in the massacre.
"This is only thing I have of my son. I don't have anything else," cried Sabra Mujic as she held up a photograph of her son.
It's the first time that the 12 Dutch soldiers who served in Srebrenica 12 years ago have returned.
One Dutch soldier at the meeting, Acce Anakota, said he was sorry that troops didn't do anything to stop the massacre.
"I do apologise and I regret that this happened. It affects me a lot," he said.
"But you have to know that we were not prepared for the kind of pressure that we were put through in Srebrenica," he said.
The trip is organised by the Dutch Memorial Centre Kamp Westerbork, the Dutch Veteran Institute and the peace organisation Pax Christi.
The systematic execution of about 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 was the worst massacre in Europe since World War II and is considered an act of genocide. Survivors have this year sued the Dutch troops at a Dutch court for participating in genocide.
Bosnian Serbs overran the town of Srebrenica in July 1995. The outnumbered Dutch peacekeepers did not fire a shot to protect the town even though two years earlier it had been declared by the U.N. Security Council a safe haven for civilians.
The U.N. did not respond to the Dutch commander's calls for air support.
The town's Muslim population fled to the Dutch U.N. compound seeking protection but most of them were not let in. Serb soldiers separated men from women for execution while the Dutch solders could only watch helplessly.

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