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Serbia verdict 'closes chapter' in history, EU says

BRUSSELS –- The EU has welcomed the UN's top court ruling which sees Serbia cleared of direct responsibility for the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslims in the Bosnian village of Srebrenica, while urging Belgrade to distance itself from Milosevic-era crimes and hand over war criminals still at large.

"I appreciate very much that there [in the ruling] is no collective punishment", EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, as it was the first time in the 60-year history of the International Court of Justice that an entire nation was being held to judicial account for genocide.

"The verdict will help to close a page of history which was dramatic, painful and damaging to many people", Mr Solana added, calling for reconciliation in the region.

Related Links

  • Bosnian Muslims view ruling as another defeat
  • Serbs' collective sigh of relief
  • Analysis: Serbia verdict may lead to peace
  • Read entire article at EUobserver