MASSACRE SURVIVORS SEEK PAYOUT

July 1, 2004 - (BBC) Women survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia have demonstrated to demand compensation for the failure of Dutch peacekeepers to protect the town.

About 50 women rallied near the Dutch parliament in The Hague, carrying a large white banner bearing the names of many of the thousands who died.

The UN had designated the mainly Muslim town a safe haven, and the Dutch troops were there to defend civilians.

The protest came as The Netherlands took over the rotating EU presidency.

One of the demonstrators, Sahabeta Fejzic, told AFP news agency that she last saw her son during the storming of Srebrenica in July 1995.

She says Bosnian Serb forces wrenched her son from her as Dutch peacekeepers stood by.

"We consider The Netherlands shares responsibility for the genocide, which is why we want compensation," she added.

A lawyer acting for the women - known as the Mothers of Srebrenica - said the Dutch authorities had been offered an out-of-court settlement for two billion euros (£1.5bn).

"They have six weeks to answer. If they refuse, then we will take it to court," he said.

Soul-searching

There was no immediate comment on the claim by the Dutch government.

The Srebrenica massacre is regarded as the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.

The peacekeepers' failure to prevent it has caused considerable soul-searching in The Netherlands.

In 2002 the entire government resigned after an official report blamed Dutch political and military leaders for giving their troops an "impossible" mission to protect the enclave.

Earlier this month Bosnian Serb president Dragan Cavic expressed regret, and called the massacre a black page in the history of the Serb people.

From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3857449.stm