Al Hussein made the comment via a video link to the United Nations Security Council, when it met to discuss the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that if the UN is going to make commitments on protecting civilians, then it must be resolute, undivided and clear about its intentions.

“Had this been the case with Sri Lanka in 2009, or now in Sudan, Burundi or even Myanmar, the consequences for the lives of millions of people would be immense,” he said.

His remarks were made as the Security Council prepared to table a vote on a draft resolution strongly condemning as genocide the crimes at Srebrenica as established by the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and all other proven war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the course of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The measure – which failed to pass with 10 votes in favour, four abstentions (Angola, China, Nigeria and Venezuela) and the Russian Federation voting against – would have further agreed that “acceptance of the tragic events at Srebrenica as genocide is a prerequisite for reconciliation.” If one of the Council’s five permanent members casts a negative vote on a resolution, the text cannot be adopted.

(Colombo Gazette)