Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has offered an apology for his country's role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys.
In a statement prepared for Bosnian state television, Nikolic said, "I kneel and ask for forgiveness for Serbia for the crime committed in Srebrenica." But he added "genocide needs to be proved."
Part of Nikolic's statement has been posted on YouTube.
During a meeting with Nikolic in Belgrade on April 23, Bosnian Muslim leader Bakir Izetbegovic called on him to "face up to" Srebrenica so that both countries can move forward.
Improved relations with its neighbors in the Balkans is an important condition for Serbia to move closer to EU membership.
On April 22, Serbia's government agreed to an EU-brokered deal with Kosovo on normalizing relations.
In a statement prepared for Bosnian state television, Nikolic said, "I kneel and ask for forgiveness for Serbia for the crime committed in Srebrenica." But he added "genocide needs to be proved."
Part of Nikolic's statement has been posted on YouTube.
During a meeting with Nikolic in Belgrade on April 23, Bosnian Muslim leader Bakir Izetbegovic called on him to "face up to" Srebrenica so that both countries can move forward.
Improved relations with its neighbors in the Balkans is an important condition for Serbia to move closer to EU membership.
On April 22, Serbia's government agreed to an EU-brokered deal with Kosovo on normalizing relations.