A case brought against the Netherlands government by two Moslems who worked for the UN peacekeeping force at Srebrenice has failed.

The case was brought by Hasan Nuhanovic, an interpreter who lost his brother, mother and father; and relatives of Rizo Mustafic, an electrician who was killed. They claimed their relatives should have been protected because they worked for the Dutch peacekeepers.

The Dutch soldiers handed Bosnian Muslims over to the Serbs when it was clear that they would be killed. They had asked the UN for air support and did't get any. The Dutch government resigned in 2002 over a report on the massacre which criticised their role.

The case was dismissed as the Court found that the UN was responsible, but immune from prosecution.

Nuhanovic will appeal. He said "That responsibility (for failing to prevent genocide) should be more important than the functional immunity of the United Nations,".

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/10/europe/EU-Netherlands-Srebrenica.php

http://srebrenica-genocide.blogspot.com/2006/07/thoughts-on-niod-report-chomsky-un.html

The Dutch were a small force, and looked miserable and confused on the reports of the time. Soldiers on the ground say there was poor communication with command. 8,000 men and boys were killed.

"What if" history is imo a waste of time, but the failure to prevent the massacre was shocking and discredited the UN. Surely, the UN forces should not require immunity but should act to the highest standards and be prepared to account for themselves when things go wrong ?