An official investigation by the Bosnian Serb authorities has admitted for the first time that their forces were responsible for the killing of several thousand Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995.
The announcement was made at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague which is treating the killings as an act of genocide.
A government commission set up to investigate the matter said Bosnian forces participated in a severe violation of human rights and then took steps to conceal it.
The commission's conclusion was that there were three planned stages to the Bosnian Serb military operation around Srebrenica in July 1995: the attack on the town; the separation of women and children; and the execution of the men.
It says several thousand Muslims were 'liquidated' in what was a 'grave violation of international humanitarian law'. It also revealed the discovery of 32 previously unknown mass grave sites.
The commission's report states that Bosnian Serb military and police units, as well as special units of the ministry of interior, had participated in the murders.
Paddy Ashdown, the International High Representative for Bosnia, said the move could be an early sign that Bosnian authorities were prepared to recognise and apologise for Srebrenica.
