Tired of talking only Israel and Palestine. Dutch Government resigns!
Dutch Government quits
over Srebrenica
Up to 8,000 Muslims were massacred at Srebrenica
The entire Dutch cabinet has resigned in the
aftermath of a report on the Srebrenica
massacre.
The report, published last week, blamed the
Dutch Government and senior military officials
for failing to prevent the 1995 massacre, the
worst single atrocity of the Bosnian war.
The government,
headed by Prime Minister
Wim Kok, met for crisis
talks on Tuesday
morning, before deciding
to resign en masse.
"The international
community has failed to protect the people in
the UN safe areas (in Bosnia)," Mr Kok said in a
short explanation of his resignation in
parliament.
But the head of state, Queen Beatrix,
immediately called on Mr Kok's cabinet to form
a caretaker administration until a new
government is formed.
Survivors of the massacre seemed unmoved by
the decision, which they saw as an empty
gesture.
"I want justice - and it's not done by the
resignation of ministers," said Hasan
Nuhanovic.
The news of the
resignations came as
the United Nations
unveiled a $12.5m
recovery programme
for Srebrenica aimed
at improving housing,
infrastructure and the
local economy.
UN Development
Programme spokesman
Moises Venacio told
the AFP news agency
that the aim of the
project was to "leave behind an international
legacy of hope... and not one of destruction
and desolation".
Elections
Up to 8,000 men and boys were slaughtered by
Bosnian Serb forces who over-ran Srebrenica,
despite 110 lightly-armed Dutch troops being
assigned to protect the town's residents and
refugees.
Holland was anyway due to hold general
elections on 15 May.
Mr Kok's cabinet will function as an interim
administration with no power to initiate
legislation until a new government is formed.
Mr Kok has been credited with bringing down
unemployment and creating prosperity.
But his centre-left coalition is behind in opinion
polls and already facing defeat.
UN criticised
Two ministers, Jan Pronk and Frank de Grave,
had threatened to quit after the Srebrenica
report's release.
The report said the government had sent its
peacekeepers on a "mission impossible" to
protect Srebrenica, which was supposed to be
a UN safe area.
The report also criticised the UN, which it said
should share responsibility with the Dutch
Government for failing to prevent the tragedy.
But the fact that it stopped short of blaming
the peacekeepers themselves has provoked
angry protests from relatives of the victims.
Nonetheless, the report has prompted much
soul-searching in the Netherlands, with
newspapers calling for a parliamentary inquiry
into the role of some ministers. |
