Croatia 'attacked Serbs in land grab'

Mike Corder

August 30, 2010

AP

Croatian forces shelled civilians and torched their homes in a deliberate effort to expel tens of thousands of Serbs during a lightning 1995 campaign to seize back land occupied early in the Balkan wars, UN war crimes prosecutors say.

The ethnic cleansing allegations were made as prosecution lawyers at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal summed up their case against General Ante Gotovina, who commanded the blitz known as Operation Storm, and two other Croatian generals.

The case is unusual because prosecutors insist the generals are guilty despite having issued orders to troops not to commit crimes. They say the generals never intended the orders to be followed.

Advertisement: Story continues below

The 1995 offensive is still a source of friction between Croatia and Serbia. Zagreb celebrates it with a national holiday, while Belgrade regards it as one of the worst crimes against Serbs committed during the Balkan wars.

Marking the 15th anniversary of Operation Storm in early August, Serbian President Boris Tadic called it a "crime which shouldn't be forgotten".

His Croatian counterpart Ivo Josipovic responded saying it was "above all, the crown of the justified liberation war".

Prosecutors claim 324 Serbs were killed, including elderly and disabled villagers - many "executed" with gunshots to the head.

Monday's hearing was being broadcast on Croatian state television but raised little interest in Serbia. Gotovina, Mladen Markac and Ivan Cermak have pleaded innocent and are regarded as heroes in their homeland.

Prosecutors have demanded sentences of 27 years for Gotovina, 23 years for Markac and 17 years for Cermak. Their trial began in March 2008 and heard from 145 witnesses. Verdicts are expected later this year.

The tribunal has in other cases convicted several senior officers for issuing orders to their men to commit atrocities, or for failing to punish subordinates who violated international law.

In this case, however, the prosecution acknowledges Croatian troops repeatedly were warned against committing crimes, but it claims those orders were never meant to be followed.

Prosecutor Alan Tieger told the three-judge panel it was "patently absurd that there was any genuine intent to implement them". Instead, he said, the orders were intended to fool the international community into believing Zagreb was acting to prevent crimes and to distance the Croat government and military from atrocities.

Tieger quoted testimony from the former US ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, who told judges Operation Storm included "serious and systematic crimes for which the Croatian leadership is fully responsible".

Prosecutor Ed Russo said Croatia used a campaign of indiscriminate shelling to spark terror among the Serb population and followed it with "psychological operations" including dropping leaflets advising Serbs how to flee the region. Once the Serbs were gone, Zagreb began an operation to repopulate the region with Croats.

Russo said testimony from survivors showed Serbs "fled to escape the widespread and unlawful artillery attack on their towns and villages".

Defence lawyers said the shelling was aimed at legitimate military targets and orders for troops not to commit crimes were genuine attempts to prevent attacks on civilians. Gotovina's lawyer, Luka Misetic, said the Serb exodus was planned by Croatian Serb leaders.

© 2010 AP

Ads by Google

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/croatia-attacked-serbs-in-land-grab-20100830-147jg.html

Serbia favours dialogue, but not with Kosovo as country

05. September 2010. | 07:05

Source: Emg.rs, Tanjug

Serbian President Boris Tadic said Friday that a lasting solution for Kosovo could be found only through dialogue, but that Serbia, respectful as it is of the rights of ethnic Albanians, could not talk with representatives of the so called Republic of Kosovo.

Serbian President Boris Tadic said Friday that a lasting solution for Kosovo could be found only through dialogue, but that Serbia, respectful as it is of the rights of ethnic Albanians, could not talk with representatives of the so called Republic of Kosovo.

"Serbia wants to settle the Kosovo issue together with its European partners," Tadic said after meeting with Slovenia's Prime Minister Borut Pahor, adding that he was there to defend Serbia's legitimate interest, but while keeping in mind Serbia's and Kosovo Albanians' European future.

According to Tadic, Serbia has no intention of obstructing the search for a solution to the Kosovo problem, but instead wishes settle that historical conflict in the Western Balkans, because it realizes it cannot bring a new conflict into the EU.

"A lasting peace can be achieved only by offering a European future to each of the Western Balkan nations. Only a lasting peace and a peaceful policy can provide a good future for each family and economy in this region," Tadic noted.

However, there are some red lines Serbia will not cross, just like the EU, Tadic remarked, adding he hoped Serbia's proposed UN resolution on Kosovo, which should be harmonized with the EU stand, would protect the country's legitimate interest, as well as define a joint view by the EU.

"All those who think this is another moment for Serbia to be defeated and humiliated are wrong. That is a very destructive attitude at a complex moment in history. A solution is possible through a constructive dialogue, by acknowledging the rights of each country and people," Tadic stated.

The Serbian president hopes to find a compromise concerning the resolution on Kosovo with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. The document will be discussed by the UN General Assembly on September 9.

"A dialogue would open the door to EU membership for everyone, but it would also help EU members find their European and security interest in the Western Balkans," Tadic explained.

The solution to the Kosovo problem and other open issues in the region should be sought with plenty of patience, one step at a time, and by preserving peace and stability, said Pahor.

Belgrade and Pristina can establish a dialogue that would settle any unresolved issues, and if Slovenia can help with that, it will do so willingly, Pahor stated.

It is in the interest of Serbia and the international community to make the resolution acceptable for both Serbia and the EU, the prime minister asserted.

http://www.emg.rs/en/news/serbia/131801.html