By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Is Serbia a genocidal nation?
The question was on the lips of many Serbs as they anxiously awaited a landmark ruling Monday by the UN's highest court on whether their nation should be held accountable for wartime atrocities against Bosnian Muslims in the 1990s.
If the Netherlands-based International Court of Justice rules in favor of the Bosnian suit, it would be the first time in history that an entire nation - not just its military or government leaders - is deemed responsible for genocide.
"If Serbia were convicted of genocide, it would have far-reaching consequences which would burden our future for decades," said Radoslav Stojanovic, a legal expert who has conducted Serbia's defense in front of the World Court.
A guilty verdict could pave the way for war compensation to Bosnia amounting to billions of dollars (euros) from Serbia, the successor state of Slobodan Milosevic's Yugoslavia.