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Bosnia, commemorate thousands of Serbian war victims

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 5 - Serb and Bosnian Serb leaders attended a memorial ceremony today in Bratunac, Bosnia-Herzegovina along the Drina River on the border with Serbia, in remembrance of the thousands of Serbs killed by Bosnian Muslim forces during the 1992-1995 armed conflict. Located in Republika Srpska, Bratunac is a few kilometers from Srebrenica, which in a week's time will be the focus of official ceremonies marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide of more than 8,000 Muslim civilians by Bosnian Serb troops under the command of General Ratko Mladic. There were about 3,300, mostly civilians including women, old men and children, Serbs killed in Bratunac and the surrounding Drina region during the Bosnian War. For Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, "innocent victims die one more time if they are forgotten, and that is why we are here to honor them." "We have become accustomed to not having justice for the massacred Serbs, and if the truth is ascertained, then it would shed light on another event scheduled not far from here in a few days," Dodik added with reference to the ceremonies scheduled in Srebrenica on July 11. "One does not want to admit that there were perpetrators of crimes here in Bratunac as well." "Unfortunately, such a place and the names of the Serbian victims are never mentioned in international public opinion. Their suffering remains unknown, their pain covered by silence," Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said. "Serbia does not seek revenge, but wants truth and justice," she added, stressing that it will continue to demand that Serbian victims also be respected and honored, and that those responsible for crimes against them be identified and punished. (ANSA).