Pakistani president pays respects to Srebrenica victims

30/04/2007| IslamWeb

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday paid his respects to victims of the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica, the worst mass slaughter in Europe since World War II.

"I don't have any words to express my sorrow and grief over what you have suffered. My heart is with you," Musharraf told the massacre victims relatives at a memorial cemetery in Potocari, just outside the eastern town.

At the cemetery the Pakistani leader laid a wreath and held an Islamic prayer for the dead.

Some 8,000 unarmed Muslim men and boys were killed in and around Srebrenica by Serb forces at the end of Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.

So far 2,448 victims of the massacre have been buried at the cemetery after being exhumed from more than 60 mass graves in the area since the end of the war. Some 5,000 bags filled with human bones are still awaiting identification.

Musharraf arrived for a two-day visit to Bosnia on Friday aimed at boosting bilateral ties between the two countries, notably in the economic sphere.

Muslims make up around 40 percent of Bosnia's population of 3.8 million, while Croats and Serbs account for 10 and 31 percent respectively.

AFP