SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC DR. RAJKO KUZMANOVIĆ IN DONJA GRADINA

Today, we commemorate 63rd anniversary of Jasenovac detainee breach. We came here to pay respects to the killed sufferers, to sympathize pain of those who left their closest, and whose lives were interrupted by the Ustashi daggers. We do not gather here every year to look for the revenge or to sow hatred. We gather here to tell the truth about what had happened here more than six decades ago. We are only looking for the truth about how big is the crime that was committed here. We are looking for the truth to realize that the war that has just finished is only a continuation of the war from the time of so-called Independent State of Croatia.

Yugoslavia was the only country that did not list its victims after the Second World War. That could happen to the country that subjugated many historical facts to the ideology to which it was based. That is the reason why it has never been clear who the victims are and who are the committers.

Donja Gradina remains in eternal memory for its number of human sufferers. It is the largest camp of death in the system of the Ustashi and Jasenovac scaffolds, for which, even today, this country shakes and we are all overwhelmed by global and eternal pain and sorrow. Jasenovac and Gradina are symbols of innocent people sufferings.

Serbs, Gypsies, Jews and other peoples are tortured and killed here. They were killed only because their nation and religion were different. In the camps of Jasenovac, numerous people who were against the Ustashi regime, Croatian antifascists and other people were also killed, as they were against ideological, religious and nationalist politics and the Ustashi crime regime. All of them were victims of the Ustashi rasist laws, nationalist and genocide politics of the Independent State of Croatia. Monstrosity of the crime in Jasenovac is unique and terrifying. Such crime has never been seen neither before nor afterwards. Things that had happened here and what the Ustashi had done here, excelled all the crimes of Nazis who constructed camps of death over the captured Europe.

It is our holy duty - human, moral and civilized - that victims of Jasenovac must never be forgotten, as the victims of the newest war in this tormented country. That should be done for our own future, for the future of our children who should be taught the truth and religion that evil never controls people. In the world, there is goodness as well as evil. Let us believe that in the fight between these contraries, goodness must win.

We must believe that there are no criminal peoples. There are criminals, bearers of foolish ideology who have their names and surnames. It should be clearly said that crime never gets older and it must be punished. Of course, that is not a consolation for the victims, but it is an advice and a message for the future, for implementation of peace and for general improvement.

It is human and Christian to forgive, but we should never forget. Today, our presence here confirms that we must never forget or hide the traces of the genocide. Those who wish to extenuate the proportion of crime should be shown by truth and should be disabled to change history. We must not let forgery to become truth, or write truth on it.

Future generations, without concerning their national or religious affiliation, must know the size and monstrosity of the crime and systematic destruction, especially when Serbs are concerned, as it happened in Jasenovac, in Donja Gradina as its one part only. It must be a warning that that must never happen to anyone.

The attempts of changing history, whose witnesses are we, remind us to inevitability of intensifying of scientific research of all aspects of the complex camp Jasenovac. This research is interdisciplinary – historiographical, anthropologic, demographic and forensic. It includes the issues of the aims, character and functioning of the camp, the system and methodology of executing crime, commanders and executors, as well as confirmation of the personal and collective identity of the victims, the place of their birth and life before they were deported into the camp. We are aware of the fact that it is a huge and lasting effort, the effort that should not be seen as completed. On realization of these tasks many bodies and institutions of the Republic of Srpska as well as eminent professionals from the Republic of Srpska and abroad must be engaged.

Only that way, danger of revisionist attempts of rehabilitation of crime and the Ustashi creation will be eliminated, on the account of lessening of the importance of antifascist movement and abolishing of its place and its role. By that, legal and objective consideration of contemporary tragedy of Serbian people will be facilitated. It will also contribute to the normalization and stabilization of the state and safety in this `small country located between the worlds`, as in the region where bloody drama lasts for centuries. I emphasize this for our good neighbouring relations, peace and tolerance that are needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in the neighbouring states in the region.

We send them a message that we are truly turned towards future, devoted to peace, tolerance and we wish to move together with the European states and peoples.

We must create a natural state of sincere dialogue, respects of all differences and specialities, to establish values of moral considerations and behaviour between peoples and nations. Here, we expect understanding and support from a peaceful part of the world, and especially from the Orthodox part.

We are united and determined in our intention to keep our legitimate right of a constitutive people, rejecting any demands for reducing the functions, identity, integrity and dignity of the Republic of Srpska and Serbian people that are brought by the constitution. We believe in ourselves and in the Republic of Srpska, and without hope and belief in future, we cannot have the present either.

For secular and spiritual power, time that comes has to be in the spirit of fight for improvement of social and material position of our citizens, construction and development of the Republic of Srpska as organized constitutive part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, it is a task and the obligation of all of us, all our bodies and institutions and by doing so we repay a debt to those who obligated us the most- they obligated us with their lives.

From this historical place, I invite all bodies and institutions of the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide political stability, economic improvement and social security, to leave and eliminate hatred and envy and to turn towards cooperation and mutual respect.

As we emphasized so many times before- we should work and act as good and diligent people, people of good will, cooperation and understanding.

Our determinations are peaceful, democratic and reform processes in construction of community and society, harmonious life, cultural and peaceful dialogue, the highest level of tolerance and mutual respects. That way only, we shall create better future, with clear direction of development and searching for our own place on the international scene.

Today, I emphasize it once again, we do not wish to judge anyone, we are only the ones who witness, because `there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed`. We wish the history walk to stop and to eliminate frequent attempts of destroying the roots and being of the Serbian people in the regions of its centuries lasting existence and living.

That is how we can repay debts to all those who suffered as innocent on this place of our pain.

May they rest in peace!

Donja Gradina, May 4, 2008

Dr. Rajko Kuzmanović
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA