[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16541-16542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




REMEMBERING THE FALL OF ZEPA--ONE OF SIX U.N. DECLARED ``SAFE HAVENS'' 
                               IN BOSNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2008

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, on July 25, 1995, Zepa, one 
of the six ``safe havens'' that the U.N. declared during the 1992-1995 
war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fell to the Army of Republika Srpska. 
This happened 2 weeks after U.N. forces abandoned the Srebrenica ``safe 
haven'' to the same force, which committed genocide by killing 8,000 
Bosniak men and boys, and raping an unknown number of Bosniak women.
  Madam Speaker, before the war Zepa was a village of great natural 
beauty. Three thousand people lived there, and 750 children attended 
its primary school. Today the village is a standing reminder of the 
evil history of ethnic cleansing: only about 500 returnees live there 
and most of them are unemployed.
  On July 11th of this year hundreds of diplomats and members of the 
international community joined thousands of Bosnian mourners and 
elected officials to mark the 13th anniversary of the fall of 
Srebrenica. Madam Speaker, tomorrow let us mark July 25th with the same 
solemnity and remember the victims of Zepa. Let us share the painful 
memories of the horror that befell the village 13 years ago and let us 
never forget that only justice and democratic governance will lead to a 
stable and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[[Page 16542]]



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