Serbia hailed its acquittal before the World Court on genocide charges filed by Bosnia, saying it would help regional reconciliation. Bosnia’s Muslims, however, expressed anger over the ruling.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, yesterday judged that Serbia was not directly responsible for the 1995 genocide that took place in the Bosnian Muslim enclave of Srebrenica.

The court also said Serbia had not done all it could to prevent the massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys there by Bosnian Serb troops.

The ruling triggered relief in Serbia and disappointment among the former wartime foes in Bosnia, where a 1992-to-1995 bloody conflict left at least 100,000 people dead and millions displaced.

“I am speechless,” said Fadila Efendic, whose son and husband were killed in Srebrenica.

“We know that Serbia was directly involved. We saw Serbian troops shell us…and kill our sons and husbands. We saw them commit genocide here.”

Sehida Rahmanovic, another massacre survivor, added: “Bosnian Serbs could not have committed genocide without the help in arms, money, troops and everything from Serbia.”

In Belgrade, Serbia’s President Boris Tadic said the verdict “is very important for the Republic of Serbia and its citizens because it has determined that Serbia did not commit genocide in Bosnia”.

He added: “For all of us, the part of the judgment that said that Serbia did not do all in its power to prevent genocide against Bosnians in Srebrenica is very hard.”

The prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica said the verdict would boost post-war reconciliation.

“Thank God,” said Mirko Kocic, a 25-year-old economy student. “For once we are cleared of something!”

The World Court also said that Serbia, which was ruled by late nationalist president Slobodan Milosevic during the Bosnian war until he was overthrown by reformist forces in 2000, has failed to comply with its obligations to punish those accused of the genocide.

The World Court ordered Belgrade to hand over suspects for trial by a separate UN court, also based in The Hague, singling out Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic.

Warning of “dramatic consequences” for the country unless Mladic is handed over as demanded by the World Court, Tadic also urged a “finalisation” of the “co-operation” with the UN war crimes court.

Serbia has repeatedly said it is unable to locate Mladic, despite claims by UN court officials that he is hiding there.

Tomislav Nikolic, an ultranationalist leader, dismissed the World Court proceedings as “part of a conspiracy” to declare the Serbs a “genocidal nation”.

Also indicted for genocide by the UN war crimes court over the Srebrenica massacre was the wartime Bosnian Serb political leader, Radovan Karadzic, and a number of Bosnian Serb military and political leaders.

Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik rejected the responsibility of his mini-state for genocide, saying a “horrific” crime took place in Srebrenica, but that individuals should be held responsible.

The Muslim member of Bosnia’s three-member presidency, Haris Silajdzic, however, suggested that the ruling, declaring the Bosnian Serbs guilty of genocide in Srebrenica, should lead to the abolishment of their entity.