 The Congress of the North American Bosniaks send letter to: H. E. Ban Ki – Moon, Secretary – General UN Headquarters; Mr. Richard Goldstone, Head of the Advisory Commission on the International Courts Archives; H. E. Fausto Pocar, President of the ICTY; Mr. Serge Brammeretz, Prosecutor of the ICTY; Mr. Hans Holthuis, Registry of the ICTY |
Considering taht the issue of location of the ICTY archive after closing of Tribunal has been opened, and having in mind UN Resololutions 1503 and 1504, which foresee the completion of work of the ICTY in 2010 and formation the UN Advisory Commission on the Courts Archive, the Congress of the North American Bosniaks {CNAB}, which represents more than 350.000 American and Canadian Bosniaks, most of them are victims of the agression in Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressing its readiness for the ICTY archive to be transferred and kept in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is in Sarajevo.
The city of Sarajevo has a moral obligation and is entitled to launch such procedure as a cuty victim in the past war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are well aware of the campaign that is underway, regarding the issue of which city and country are to take over ICTY documentation after closing of the Tribunal. It is not necessary ro remind eveyone about what this city and country have endured, which gives the City of Sarajevo a huge advantage to become the city that will take over, store and preserve this documentation.
The city of Sarajevo as the centre of the state and ist institutions, has a moral obligation to support the Initative out of numerous essenatial reasons: as a city were more than 14,000 citizens were killed in the past war, we are obliged to save the memories on its citizens, as well as other citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who were victims of the war, Sarajevo is a city that can meet very high technical criteria for protection, it can offer adequate premises, provade the necessary personnel and adequatly manage and handle such archive, to the criteria and rules that are yet to be defined.
We especially emphasize the importance of the archive in the process of establishment of a joint memorial space where beside ICTY archive, a number of other documents taht are to arise from trials before local courts will be located. This memorial would be a unique place for gathering and a reminder, a source indisputable facts about the events tah would contribute to justice, building of trust and long term and steable peace in the whole Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We are aware that the transfer of the ICTY archive to the City of Sarajevo, project of accomodation, protection and usage of the archive, certainly could not bee realized without direct and unconditional assistance and cooperation from the UN,and especially not without cooperation with ICTY representatives.
This letter is an expression of our will and intent, and at the same time we are sending a request to the UN that the ICTY archive, after the cocompletion of the work of the Tribunal, be trensfered to the City of Sarajevo. We maintain that the City of Sarajevo possesses all the necessary preconditions for the ICTY archive to be safely accommodated and protected and made equally available to all interested parties, primarly to prsecutions in order to achieve justice, trust, education and prevention.
CNAB can not accept the interpretation that the accommodation of the ICTY archive in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is in Sarajevo, would be a cause for any instability or conflict, but quite the opposite, we consider that such interpretation are aimed at stopping the persecution of war criminals, causing new traumas to the victims and creation of conditons for new instabilities in the region.
CNAB thinks that placing trust in the City of Sarajevo, a heroic city, would be a historical, moral decision of the UN, which would best show clear determination that the ICTY archives does not end up in the hands of those structures that, except for profitable and political reasons to want the ICTY archive.
CNAB wish to believe that your decision on the future of the ICTY archive will be in the interest of the victims, persecution of the war criminals, stability and peace in the region, as well as in the interest of the future generations who will, by studying these issues, be in a position to build a better future for all peaples and countries on the territory of former Yugoslavia.
Sincerely,
Emir Ramic
President of the CNAB