Serbs commemorate Operation Storm anniversary

05/08/2008

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Hundreds gathered at a memorial service in Belgrade on Monday (August 4th) to mark the 13th anniversary of Operation Storm, the Croatian army offensive that killed hundreds of Serb civilians. Protesters then marched to the Croatian Embassy for a peaceful rally. The military operation that began on August 4th 1995 ended with the elimination of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina, which occupied around one-third of Croatia's territory. It also marked the end of the 1991-1995 war in Croatia. An estimated 200,000 Serb civilians living in Croatia fled to refuge in Serbia.

Meanwhile, the head of Serbia's national council for ties with The Hague tribunal, Rasim Ljajic, on Monday urged all refugees who have remained in Serbia years after fighting ended to return to their home countries. He says there can be no reconciliation in the region before resolution of the refugee issue. (AFP, Javno, HRT, HINA, AP, B92, Beta - 04/08/08; Beta - 03/08/08)