Croatian President Ivo Josipovic on Thursday visited Ahmici and Krizancevo Selo in central Bosnia, where he paid tribute, together with Sarajevo Archbishop Vinko Puljic and the head of the country's Islamic community, Mustafa Ceric, to Bosniaks and Croats killed in conflicts between the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Bosnian Croat HVO forces in 1993.
"I have come to pay tribute to the victims with the message that these horrendous crimes must never happen again," Josipovic told reporters in Krizancevo Selo.
He stressed that he was very much encouraged by the fact that the Croat and Bosniak religious dignitaries and numerous politicians had joined him.
"We are all united in the wish to pay respect to the victims, remember them and say 'Never again'," Josipovic said in a brief statement.
The Roman Catholic archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, thanked the Croatian president for paying tribute to innocent victims by visiting Ahmici and Krizancevo Selo.
"That is why I accepted the invitation to pay tribute to the victims myself. I believe the time has come to acknowledge that all victims need respect, particularly if we believe in eternal life and divine justice," Puljic said.
He added that all people in Bosnia-Herzegovina should have the same attitude to victims. "Unfortunately, there are too many of their graves," he said.
The head of the Islamic community, Mustafa Ceric, said that setting an example was more important than words.
"Today is one of such days, when we promote the restoration of confidence by giving a personal contribution, and we have gathered here at the invitation of President Josipovic," said Ceric.
"By doing so we want to close an ugly chapter in our relations and open a new one that should contain the message that some doors in Croatia leading to Bosnia should be closed and some others opened. Bosnia, too, should open some doors that lead to Croatia, and close some others so that good neighbourly relations between the two countries benefit all people," Ceric said.
He added that people in Bosnia-Herzegovina sometimes needed a sign of goodwill from the outside in order to be good themselves.
"That is why President Josipovic made our day today," Ceric said, calling on Puljic to visit with him all parts of the country to carry the message of "goodwill and reconciliation".
The visit by President Josipovic and the Croat and Muslim religious dignitaries to Ahmici and Krizancevo Selo was welcomed by a large crowd of local residents.
The visit to Ahmici came ahead of the 17th anniversary of the massacre in that village, where HVO members killed 116 Bosniaks on 16 April 1993.
In Krizancevo Selo, members of the Bosnian army on 22 and 23 December 1993 killed 74 HVO members and civilians.
After visiting central Bosnia, President Josipovic left for the southern city of Mostar.
