Amsterdam  - A former member of the Dutch UN peacekeeping battalion Dutchbat that was stationed in 1995 in the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica plans to move to the Bosnian city permanently this summer with his family.

Speaking late Monday on a Dutch television show, Rob Zomer said he wanted to move to Srebrenica because of its beautiful nature and "to boost the local population's self-confidence."

His wife, who also appeared on the show, said she found Srebrenica "a most peaceful environment."

In 1995, Zomer was part of Dutchbat, the Dutch peacekeeping battalion posted under a United Nations mandate to protect Srebrenica's civilian population against Bosnian Serb forces.

Not authorized by the UN to use weapons, Dutchbat eventually stood by and watched as Bosnian-Serbs deported and subsequently killed 8,000 Muslim men.

Asked whether Zomer himself had feared anything ominous would happen to the men when the Bosnian-Serbs separated them from their families, Zomer replied "of course not."

"Why should I? Women and children are always separated from men during evacuations or disasters, such as floods. I did not know anything about the killings until after we had returned home. No one knew until we were back."

Zomer decided last year to move to Srebrenica after participating in a peace march organized by survivor families. The area felt like his "place," he said.

His wife said that she "felt immediately at home in Srebrenica."

Zomer plans to use his experience as a former entrepreneur in the safe-deposit box business to "help locals build companies, boost their self-confidence and create jobs."

Speaking about the so-called Mothers of Srebrenica, Zomer called them "hysterical" and blamed international media for giving them a voice.

"Many you see on television are merely hired to tell stories," he said.

In 2008, representatives of more than 6,000 women calling themselves the Mothers of Srebrenica filed a civil suit against the Dutch state in a local Dutch court.

They requested the court to determine the responsibility of the Dutch government and the United Nations in the Bosnian Serb atrocities in the town. (dpa)