Britain’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, defending the resolution at a memorial service for the Srebrenica massacres, said,
“This is the moment for the Security Council to show through the resolution that we are committed to making ‘never again’ a reality.”
The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, told the event that the Srebrenica genocide must never be forgotten, adding,
“Those who deny genocide in Srebrenica today only embarrass and humiliate themselves. Let me simply appeal to all gathered here that the resolve induced by the horror of Srebrenica be extended not only to commemorating the past, but to do far more to prevent genocide and mass atrocities in the present>”
The UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ruled the massacre, which was the worst mass killing on European soil since World War Two, a genocide.
Russia’s deputy UN Ambassador Petr Illichev accused the British draft resolution as being “devise” as “it focuses on only one aspect of the conflict.” Russia is producing a counter resolution, which he described as “more general and more reconciling.”
Serb Republic slams UK draft resolution on Srebrenica genocide (10 Jun 2015)
UK to draft UN Security Council Resolution on Srebrenica genocide (09 Jun 2015)