MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD AT NOVI ZEJTINLIK

SOKOLAC, MARCH 16 /SRNA/ – A memorial service was held today at the main cross at the Military Memorial Cemetery Novi Zejtinlik in Sokolac, where 961 Serb soldiers rest, as part of commemorating the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs.

The memorial service was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia and Metropolitan Metodije of Budimlja-Nikšić. Bishop Hrizostom stressed the exodus was an event that shocked the entire world at the time, but the Serb people preserved the dignity despite the international community’s decision to hand over what had been defended with blood. "On this day the Serb people completed departure from their homes in the Sarajevo fields. May there be eternal remembrance today of the commanders and soldiers who fought for the unity of Republika Srpska," said Bishop Hrizostom. After the memorial service, wreaths and flowers will be laid at the main cross. Among those attending the service are Republika Srpska Minister of Labour, War Veterans and Disabled People’s Protection Radan Ostojić, the envoy of the Serb BiH Presidency member Boško Tomić, deputies in the Republika Srpska National Assembly, the Mayor of Istočno Sarajevo Ljubiša Ćosić, municipal heads within the city, as well as an attaché at the Embassy of Serbia in BiH. Tribute to the fallen soldiers was also paid by Serb representatives in the BiH institutions, representatives of municipal war veterans organisations from the Sarajevo-Romanija region, associations of Sarajevo Serbs, regional associations of former camp detainees and other organisations stemming from the Defensive-Patriotic War, as well as the Third Infantry Republika Srpska Regiment. A memorial service for the fallen soldiers will also be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Monastery of St. George the Victorious on Ravna Romanija, while a spiritual gathering will take place at 8:00 p.m. in the sports hall at the Republic of Serbia Square in Istočno Novo Sarajevo. The marking of the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs is organised by the Republika Srpska Government’s Committee preserving tradition of liberation wars and Istočno Sarajevo City. The mass exodus of Sarajevo Serbs officially began on February 17, 1996, from the Serb-controlled municipalities of Sarajevo that, after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, became part of the FBiH, and lasted almost until the end of March. It is estimated that between 120,000 and 150,000 Serbs left their homes in the municipalities of Ilidža, Ilijaš, Vogošća, Hadžići, Rajlovac, Grbavica and Novo Sarajevo. One of the most distressing aspects was the exhumation and transfer of the remains of the deceased to the territory of Republika Srpska.