"This is exalted and terribly sad. Much sadder than I thought when I was coming here," Milanovic told reporters after the memorial ceremony. "It is simply inconceivable that it (the genocide) happened," he added.

Milanovic replied affirmatively when asked if he would visit Srebrenica again.

Commenting on the fact that none of the Serbian officials attended the ceremony, Milanovic said he was confident that they would come eventually. "They will come, just be patient," he said.

The Mayor of Srebrenica, Camil Durakovic, who welcomed and greeted Milanovic, told Hina he very much appreciated the way in which Croatia and its officials had so far expressed their sympathy with the people of Srebrenica.

"Croatia shares almost the same fate with Bosnia and Herzegovina because we faced the same aggressor and that binds us in a spiritual and every other sense," Durakovic said.

Durakovic said that Srebrenica had already established special relations with Vukovar and Zagreb, adding that those ties would continue to grow strong.

Commenting on the present situation in Srebrenica, especially in light of local elections due in October, criticised the international community for abandoning the town because former residents would no longer be able to vote in elections. However, he said that the change of the election rules had prompted the people to do something for themselves.