[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 28 (Monday, July 15, 1996)]
[Pages 1237-1238]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to the Women of Srebrenica, Bosnia, on the Anniversary of the 
Fall of Srebrenica

July 11, 1996

To the Women of Srebrenica:

    Today you have come together because of a horrible, tragic event 
that changed your lives forever. There can be no justification for the 
barbaric terror you and your loved

[[Page 1238]]

ones endured, or for the losses you continue to suffer.
    Over these past four long years, the United States has joined the 
international community sending humanitarian aid and later 20,000 
peacekeepers. We have rebuilt roads and bridges. Now we are creating a 
commission to help you find your missing boys and men. And we are 
sending $5,000,000 to help you start businesses and get back on your 
feet economically.
    These things we can do. But we know that it will take you, from the 
inside, to repair the fabric of life that has been ripped into shreds by 
aggression and hate.
    And so the thoughts of our nation are with you as you gather in 
Tuzla not only to remember the past, but to shape your new future. The 
world is watching with deep admiration as you have invited women across 
Bosnia-Herzegovina to join you, reaching out across the lines drawn by 
war, to create a future of compassion and hope.
    Hillary and I believe strongly in your mission to reunite your 
country. We applaud your courage, your strength, and your wisdom. We 
stand with you today in spirit, to say, ``You are not alone.''
                                                  Bill Clinton