Anniversary of Operation Storm marked

While the hole war was tragic from 1990 to 1995. Lets not forget who started it Serbs and Serbia. In Croatian internationally recognized territorial borders 3000 Croatians and other minorities were summarily executed murdered in Krajina by Serbs. Other Croatians and minorities taken to Serbia are still missing. 99% of the Croatians and other minority's ethnically cleansed from Krajina region of Croatia with only the clothes on their back. Their belonging's were looted and homes burned their churches blown up and any trace of their culture was systematically destroyed. Other Croatian areas and towns not under the Serb control were bombarded from the sea ,from fighter planes ,artillery and rockets for years. Croatians tried and international negotiators for years to settle it at the negotiating table with the Serbs refusing a peace full end. Even hard line Serb leaders arresting other Serbs leaders who wanted to work toward peaceful solution with Croatia.

It was once a condition for Croatia to sort these issues out before joining the EU but this was conveniently dropped. I wonder why?

RIP to all the innocent people fallen in this tragic operation.

Lenard, Serbs did NOT start the war in Croatia. Croatia had NO RIGHT to secede in the borders they have now and had no right to secede without Serbs being consulted.
They also brought out their Nazi ideas and items which would disturb anyone let alone the people they butchered under those symbols in WW2.

So don't come here blaming the victims. Take your bias and shove it. Only a person without much humanity would ever blame the victims.
So to you 200,000 refugees being bombed is Ok because they were Serbs and they deserved it for fighting against what they knew was coming back from WW2 to opress them. Actually, who they bombed were women and children who did not take part in any fighting.

Is this OK with you because they deserved it?

"Meanwhile, that country is today celebrating the anniversary as its national holiday. "

Never seen so much bias in a B92 story. Who armed the Krajina Serbs? Who told them to expel 99.99% of the non-Serbs from Krajina?

Peggy, what borders were Croatian and who decides that? Croatia HAD the right to secede just like other republics. Why should the Serbian inhabited areas in Croatia go to Serbia but the Albanian /Bosniak /Hungarian areas in Serbia should stay with Serbia?

First thing Croats mention is Vukovar, Drubovnik when it comes to the war.

Croats and K-Albanians back to their homes years ago. Serbs until today still don't back to their destroyed homes in Croatia and Kosovo. But USA and West don't see hundreds thousands of serbian refugees. They see only their friends - Croats and Albanians. This hypocrites don't think about situation of this refugees.

peggy,

you're raising your voice in protection of the Serb victims in Krajina, but never read any comment of yours about Croation victims, or victims in Srebrenica and elsewhere in BiH! And never the victims in Kosovo too. Neither Croats nor Muslims and Albanians wanted to live under the Serbian domination and this is true as well. That's why there's a Storm military operation.

Croats and Bosniaks need to return to the so called "RS" before any return of Serbs to Croatia should occur.

Also, the reason there was an Operation Storm was the result of Serbs & JNA killing and forcing Croatians out of their own country.

"Lenard your description is lazy and with only half truths at best.

As has been documented Tudjman was not interested in a peaceful resolution. He was not interested in negotiation - unless it was with Milosevic and it was not Tudjman seeking a compromise, it was the internationals pushing him to do so. "
Bgnannon,
let's be honest: Serbs wanted Krajina and Slavenia all for themselves so they threw out (Arkan and Lukic style) all non-Serbs. Croatia wanted them for their nation, after all they were in Croatia. Serbs don't like Croats, Croats don't like Serbs so they tried to get rid of the "threat".

You tried and lost. End of story.

P.S: Ho many Croats died before Oluja?

Lenard your description is lazy and with only half truths at best.

As has been documented Tudjman was not interested in a peaceful resolution. He was not interested in negotiation - unless it was with Milosevic and it was not Tudjman seeking a compromise, it was the internationals pushing him to do so.

As for bombing from the sea, the air and everywhere else, well we all know which areas were involved. However, an average citizen in Zagreb during the war did not have that kind of experience, rather he heard the air raid sirens a few times and for the rest of the time was informed about the evil Serbs over the propoganda airwaves.

I say this because there was much worse suffering in place like Sarajevo or other parts of Bosnia so don't feel too sorry for yourself. If I were you I would spend less time in blaming others and more time wondering what 'my' side could have done to prevents those events from playing out.

The problem from the Croatian perspective is that Tudjman thought conflict was the only option to achieve Croatian independence. So it can be quite easily dismissed that the man was interested in peace or negotiation as you claim.

Lenard,

Serbia didn't even fire the first shot. The whole thing was a mess and got messier with Germany's influence and guarantees to Croatia. Ir was a nasty mess, but Serbia did not start the war.

"Who armed the Krajina Serbs? Who told them to expel 99.99% of the non-Serbs from Krajina?...
Why should the Serbian inhabited areas in Croatia go to Serbia but the Albanian /Bosniak /Hungarian areas in Serbia should stay with Serbia?"
(Selective Memory, 4 August 2009 14:52)

Who armed K-Albanians?? Who told them to expel 250 thousand of non-Albanians?? Why should the albanian inhabited area in Serbia created "independent" country, but Serbs in Croatia or Bosnia - not??

"you're raising your voice in protection of the Serb victims in Krajina, but never read any comment of yours about Croation victims, or victims in Srebrenica and elsewhere in BiH! And never the victims in Kosovo too. Neither Croats nor Muslims and Albanians wanted to live under the Serbian domination and this is true as well. That's why there's a Storm military operation."
(shem, 4 August 2009 15:00)
Do You read how many Serbs was killed by Croats, Bosniks or Albanians?? Do You know, that great areas of Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo was cleaned from Serbs?? Every speak only about Croats, Bosniaks or Albanians - but nobody about Serbs, who are too wictims of war. During war in Croatia about 200 thousands Croats was displaced - but number of displaced Serbs is between 300 and about 450 thousands!!
In Bosnia - Shem, mayby You don't know, but lot of Bosnian civilians was killed not by Serbs, but by Croats!! Like population of Lašva Valley - Bosniaks were expelled from this region by Croat forces, and about 2000 of them were by Croats murdered. But in western media - is only Milosević and Srebrenica. There is any word about thousands of civilian Serbs murdered in Bosnia by Croats and Bosniaks (incl. hundreds Serbs killed around Srebrenica by bosniak forces from this enclave).



This is one big western hypocrisy. When Croats in only few days expelled 150-200 thousands Serbs from Krajina - USA and NATO doing nothing (sorry - not nothing - they supported Croat forces). But when tens of thousands Albanians leave Kosovo in 1999 - they started aggresion against Serbia. Becouse this hypocrisy - I don't belive USA and NATO.

Croatians wanted independence and Serbians wanted to remain united. That's all understandable but to evict over 200,000 people from their homes and to keep it that way after 14 years is shameful. Furthermore, to celebrate that fact is a complete disgrace.

Croatia will always be threatened by Serbians so long as that is the case. Allow these people to return and you'll come one step closer to peace. If it can be done in BiH, it can be done in Croatia too.

According to the Erdut and Dayton agreement all removed Serbs are entitled to compensation. It is not and should not be dependent of improved relations.

Congratulations to Croatia for this impressive crime against humanity and for making it your national holiday.Your true colors keep shining through.

Serbs who left sdo-called Krajina are compensates for their property loss. They can either have their homes rebuilt in Croatia or take the money and stay in Serbia. I don't see Serbia offering Croatians or Bosnians ANY form of compensation for Srebrenica, Sarajevo, Zvornik, Bijeljina etc etc or to those kicked out of their homes from Vojvodina. Who is doing the right thibng here? All Serbia does is play the victim while ignore inconvenient truths about their guilt and how they brought Oluja onto themselves by ATTACKING in the first place.

After reading posts from our brave Croatian "friends" I am totally disgusted.

Since bombing innocent civilians (women and children) is ever justified for anything?
Croatians keep saying that the Serbs started the war and therefore their women and children deserved to be slaughtered.

Someone mentioned Vukovar ...
yeah... When JNA entered Vukovar they found a lot of Serbian victims: Reuters reporters documented about 200 Serbs killed, Italian journalist showed by TV 40 murdered Serbian babies, Russian journalist Ovcharenko and someone else (I don't remember who else) witnessed in a hospital courtyard bodies of Serbs with their limbs cut and eyes pulled out.

The half of Vukovar was populated by the Serbs, and its suburbs were dominated by Serbs. Among Serbs there was no support for HDZ and it was the reason why its Serbian leaders were arrested, Croats attacked JNA barracks, and Serbian civilians in suburbs.

But it was Croats who won information war.

Sorry, I forgot to post the link of HRW report
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/79189

Mr. Fair, it's absolutely incomparable!

How can you compare defence with ethnic cleansing and DELIBERATE bombing of a column with Serbian refugees?

"I was on a truck full of people when we heard a warplane fly over head, and then open fire.

"People started panicking and running away. I was one of the last to leave the truck, and, when I was alone, I turned around and saw my son's headless body, with my husband behind him, also dead.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4747379.stm

one thing that's really depressing when talking to the people from this region is that whenever a crime by their side is mentioned a crime by the other side will be brought up. when someone says "srebrenica" we get to hear about oric. when someone talks about the operation storm we get to hear about milosevic (though, to be fair, he is used as an excuse for almost everything by everyone including the serbs).

i do not see how crimes of the other side justify your own crimes. the way i see it crimes of my own side should matter more to me.

but then i guess there are too many idiots on all sides who discourage such way of thinking.

@Ante
"Serbs who left so-called Krajina are compensates for their property loss. They can either have their homes rebuilt in Croatia or take the money and stay in Serbia."

My dear, the things are absolutely different!

HRW Report of 2008

"Serb returnees continue to suffer violence and intimidation, particularly in north Dalmatia"
"Serbs continue to face difficulty repossessing occupied homes, despite court judgments in their favor. Repossession cases linger in the courts. There is still no effective remedy for those seeking the return of occupied agricultural land. At this writing, there are 7,743 pending appeals (mostly from Serbs) against rejected applications for reconstruction assistance."

"there was no progress toward a viable solution for Serbs stripped during the war of the right to occupy socially-owned property"

This analysis is veeery soft, given that "The closure of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe mission in December 2007 created a human rights monitoring gap."

@proudAboriginal,

Not very good at history, eh?

Croats started the war, when their armed militants attacked Borovo Selo. They thought that people there were defenseless, but brave Serbian volunteers managed to retaliate attack. Then Croats took several nurses as hostages and withdrew. JNA, which didn't participate in these events, took them prisoners and handed over to Croatian authorities.

Also it was Croats who de facto first started military actions in BiH - at the beginning of 1992 Croatia started a redeployment of its subversive groups and arms to BiH. Ethnic cleanings against Serbs were unleashed in Mostar, Bosanski Brod, Kupres, Bugojno.

Croatia like any other country has the right to declare independance (the founding member of Yugoslavia)when people saw (over 94% of population)the fabricated country was not operating properly, the Croats have the right to secure it's borders. Serbia started the war, Croatia had to defend itself. What goes around comes around. When Tito died , Serbia took the opportunity to use Yugoslavia as a Greater-Serbia chance/oppurtunity.

This whole argument is nonesense. Serbs started the war period. It is they who should pay Croatia for the war costs. Also does it make anysense for a country to accept a hostile minority. The Serb rebels paid a heavy price for their actions.

The Serbs did start the war in the Balkans when Arkans henchmen attacked Plitvice Lakes in March 1991 killing 1 MUP member. For the Serbs to say they didn't start the war is laughable. Sentenced war criminal Martic refused on numerous occasions for a peaceful resolution, instead opting for all out war against an Ustasa force that never existed. Lets be frank, Krajina and YU thank god don't exist anymore and it never ever will. Do you see us Croats constantly moaning about being ousted from the Posavina region- NO.

Peggy, Of course weapons were being brought in as a precaution. Croatia was way under armed and this makes perfect sense considering the environment. And we thank our Magyar friends for their assistance.

Again does it make any sense for a hostile minority to return? Will they fight for Croatia and cheer for the National Football team?

I am friends with Croats of Serb ancestry and they are fine. They stayed and fought for Croatia and I love them as much as anyone else.

This whole argument is nonesense. Serbs started the war period. It is they who should pay Croatia for the war costs. Also does it make anysense for a country to accept a hostile minority. The Serb rebels paid a heavy price for their actions.
(Boban77, 5 August 2009 16:55)

That's so convincing isnt't it?
You will need to come up with a lot more than just that.
Everyone knows that it was Croatia who were arming themselves and smuggling weapons through Hungarian border BEFORE any war.

We could argue about the rebel held krajina for ever but I believe there is one solution to this problem. All Serbs to Serbia, All Croats to Croatia and Bosnia to be split between Serbs & Croats. All we have today is the Serbs & Croats bickering about Oluja & Vukovar, while the Bosnians are silently building there dream of Islamic superiority in the region behind our backs. Will the Serbs & Croats ever learn.

Do the Serbs feel guilty about bombing Dubrovnik from the sea,land & air?? What about the slaughter/murder of 200 sick patients in a local hospital?? What about the rockits fired towards Zagreb from Knin before the Oluja?? The ones that did the above were the Serbs & no one seems to care?? Are they forgeting what damage they done?? It's obvious the Serbs wanted the Croatian coast as 1st priority.

This article raises a very valid point and one that is barely mentioned in the so called "comments" section. When will the land be returned to the Serbs? Most of the Serbs that own titles for their land in Croatia have not been able to move back. The land and/or homes are usually occupied by squatters. When taken to the courts even a court ruling does not help. In any case the courts will make it a very difficult process to obtain a judgment in the first place. In most cases it is quite clear that Serbs are not welcome back.

RE: Who started the war?

You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who started the war.

Croatia did not want to stay in a federated Yugoslavia and made its intentions clear with the help of Stipe Mesic who was essentially a spy withn the Federation of Yugoslavia.

However, the Krajina Serb leadership must bear responsibility for not negotiating some agreement as full autonomy was sitting on the table. The Serbian Krajina leadership under Boban and later Martic rejected autonomy offers twice.

Many blame Milosevic for pulling the Generals from Krajina. He had no choice because the Martic leadership chose to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Krajina. Ratko Mladic was deliberately distracted to Eastern Bosnia so that Operation Storm would succeed.

For Croatia to declare this as some sort of "victory" is laughable, there was no war but a slaughter of Serbian eldertly who were left behind. The Canadian UN peacekeepers could not stop the Croatian troops from looting, burning and the slaugther of innocent civilians.

Lenard, Serbs did NOT start the war in Croatia. Croatia had NO RIGHT to secede in the borders they have now and had no right to secede without Serbs being consulted.
They also brought out their Nazi ideas and items which would disturb anyone let alone the people they butchered under those symbols in WW2.

So don't come here blaming the victims. Take your bias and shove it. Only a person without much humanity would ever blame the victims.
So to you 200,000 refugees being bombed is Ok because they were Serbs and they deserved it for fighting against what they knew was coming back from WW2 to opress them. Actually, who they bombed were women and children who did not take part in any fighting.

Is this OK with you because they deserved it?

While the hole war was tragic from 1990 to 1995. Lets not forget who started it Serbs and Serbia. In Croatian internationally recognized territorial borders 3000 Croatians and other minorities were summarily executed murdered in Krajina by Serbs. Other Croatians and minorities taken to Serbia are still missing. 99% of the Croatians and other minority's ethnically cleansed from Krajina region of Croatia with only the clothes on their back. Their belonging's were looted and homes burned their churches blown up and any trace of their culture was systematically destroyed. Other Croatian areas and towns not under the Serb control were bombarded from the sea ,from fighter planes ,artillery and rockets for years. Croatians tried and international negotiators for years to settle it at the negotiating table with the Serbs refusing a peace full end. Even hard line Serb leaders arresting other Serbs leaders who wanted to work toward peaceful solution with Croatia.

"Meanwhile, that country is today celebrating the anniversary as its national holiday. "

Never seen so much bias in a B92 story. Who armed the Krajina Serbs? Who told them to expel 99.99% of the non-Serbs from Krajina?

Peggy, what borders were Croatian and who decides that? Croatia HAD the right to secede just like other republics. Why should the Serbian inhabited areas in Croatia go to Serbia but the Albanian /Bosniak /Hungarian areas in Serbia should stay with Serbia?

First thing Croats mention is Vukovar, Drubovnik when it comes to the war.

peggy,

you're raising your voice in protection of the Serb victims in Krajina, but never read any comment of yours about Croation victims, or victims in Srebrenica and elsewhere in BiH! And never the victims in Kosovo too. Neither Croats nor Muslims and Albanians wanted to live under the Serbian domination and this is true as well. That's why there's a Storm military operation.

Lenard,

Serbia didn't even fire the first shot. The whole thing was a mess and got messier with Germany's influence and guarantees to Croatia. Ir was a nasty mess, but Serbia did not start the war.

Croats and Bosniaks need to return to the so called "RS" before any return of Serbs to Croatia should occur.

Also, the reason there was an Operation Storm was the result of Serbs & JNA killing and forcing Croatians out of their own country.

Croats and K-Albanians back to their homes years ago. Serbs until today still don't back to their destroyed homes in Croatia and Kosovo. But USA and West don't see hundreds thousands of serbian refugees. They see only their friends - Croats and Albanians. This hypocrites don't think about situation of this refugees.

Croatians wanted independence and Serbians wanted to remain united. That's all understandable but to evict over 200,000 people from their homes and to keep it that way after 14 years is shameful. Furthermore, to celebrate that fact is a complete disgrace.

Croatia will always be threatened by Serbians so long as that is the case. Allow these people to return and you'll come one step closer to peace. If it can be done in BiH, it can be done in Croatia too.

"Lenard your description is lazy and with only half truths at best.

As has been documented Tudjman was not interested in a peaceful resolution. He was not interested in negotiation - unless it was with Milosevic and it was not Tudjman seeking a compromise, it was the internationals pushing him to do so. "
Bgnannon,
let's be honest: Serbs wanted Krajina and Slavenia all for themselves so they threw out (Arkan and Lukic style) all non-Serbs. Croatia wanted them for their nation, after all they were in Croatia. Serbs don't like Croats, Croats don't like Serbs so they tried to get rid of the "threat".

You tried and lost. End of story.

P.S: Ho many Croats died before Oluja?

It was once a condition for Croatia to sort these issues out before joining the EU but this was conveniently dropped. I wonder why?

RIP to all the innocent people fallen in this tragic operation.

"Who armed the Krajina Serbs? Who told them to expel 99.99% of the non-Serbs from Krajina?...
Why should the Serbian inhabited areas in Croatia go to Serbia but the Albanian /Bosniak /Hungarian areas in Serbia should stay with Serbia?"
(Selective Memory, 4 August 2009 14:52)

Who armed K-Albanians?? Who told them to expel 250 thousand of non-Albanians?? Why should the albanian inhabited area in Serbia created "independent" country, but Serbs in Croatia or Bosnia - not??

"you're raising your voice in protection of the Serb victims in Krajina, but never read any comment of yours about Croation victims, or victims in Srebrenica and elsewhere in BiH! And never the victims in Kosovo too. Neither Croats nor Muslims and Albanians wanted to live under the Serbian domination and this is true as well. That's why there's a Storm military operation."
(shem, 4 August 2009 15:00)
Do You read how many Serbs was killed by Croats, Bosniks or Albanians?? Do You know, that great areas of Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo was cleaned from Serbs?? Every speak only about Croats, Bosniaks or Albanians - but nobody about Serbs, who are too wictims of war. During war in Croatia about 200 thousands Croats was displaced - but number of displaced Serbs is between 300 and about 450 thousands!!
In Bosnia - Shem, mayby You don't know, but lot of Bosnian civilians was killed not by Serbs, but by Croats!! Like population of Lašva Valley - Bosniaks were expelled from this region by Croat forces, and about 2000 of them were by Croats murdered. But in western media - is only Milosević and Srebrenica. There is any word about thousands of civilian Serbs murdered in Bosnia by Croats and Bosniaks (incl. hundreds Serbs killed around Srebrenica by bosniak forces from this enclave).



This is one big western hypocrisy. When Croats in only few days expelled 150-200 thousands Serbs from Krajina - USA and NATO doing nothing (sorry - not nothing - they supported Croat forces). But when tens of thousands Albanians leave Kosovo in 1999 - they started aggresion against Serbia. Becouse this hypocrisy - I don't belive USA and NATO.

Serbs who left sdo-called Krajina are compensates for their property loss. They can either have their homes rebuilt in Croatia or take the money and stay in Serbia. I don't see Serbia offering Croatians or Bosnians ANY form of compensation for Srebrenica, Sarajevo, Zvornik, Bijeljina etc etc or to those kicked out of their homes from Vojvodina. Who is doing the right thibng here? All Serbia does is play the victim while ignore inconvenient truths about their guilt and how they brought Oluja onto themselves by ATTACKING in the first place.

Lenard your description is lazy and with only half truths at best.

As has been documented Tudjman was not interested in a peaceful resolution. He was not interested in negotiation - unless it was with Milosevic and it was not Tudjman seeking a compromise, it was the internationals pushing him to do so.

As for bombing from the sea, the air and everywhere else, well we all know which areas were involved. However, an average citizen in Zagreb during the war did not have that kind of experience, rather he heard the air raid sirens a few times and for the rest of the time was informed about the evil Serbs over the propoganda airwaves.

I say this because there was much worse suffering in place like Sarajevo or other parts of Bosnia so don't feel too sorry for yourself. If I were you I would spend less time in blaming others and more time wondering what 'my' side could have done to prevents those events from playing out.

The problem from the Croatian perspective is that Tudjman thought conflict was the only option to achieve Croatian independence. So it can be quite easily dismissed that the man was interested in peace or negotiation as you claim.

Croatia like any other country has the right to declare independance (the founding member of Yugoslavia)when people saw (over 94% of population)the fabricated country was not operating properly, the Croats have the right to secure it's borders. Serbia started the war, Croatia had to defend itself. What goes around comes around. When Tito died , Serbia took the opportunity to use Yugoslavia as a Greater-Serbia chance/oppurtunity.

The Serbs did start the war in the Balkans when Arkans henchmen attacked Plitvice Lakes in March 1991 killing 1 MUP member. For the Serbs to say they didn't start the war is laughable. Sentenced war criminal Martic refused on numerous occasions for a peaceful resolution, instead opting for all out war against an Ustasa force that never existed. Lets be frank, Krajina and YU thank god don't exist anymore and it never ever will. Do you see us Croats constantly moaning about being ousted from the Posavina region- NO.

Congratulations to Croatia for this impressive crime against humanity and for making it your national holiday.Your true colors keep shining through.

Do the Serbs feel guilty about bombing Dubrovnik from the sea,land & air?? What about the slaughter/murder of 200 sick patients in a local hospital?? What about the rockits fired towards Zagreb from Knin before the Oluja?? The ones that did the above were the Serbs & no one seems to care?? Are they forgeting what damage they done?? It's obvious the Serbs wanted the Croatian coast as 1st priority.

This whole argument is nonesense. Serbs started the war period. It is they who should pay Croatia for the war costs. Also does it make anysense for a country to accept a hostile minority. The Serb rebels paid a heavy price for their actions.

one thing that's really depressing when talking to the people from this region is that whenever a crime by their side is mentioned a crime by the other side will be brought up. when someone says "srebrenica" we get to hear about oric. when someone talks about the operation storm we get to hear about milosevic (though, to be fair, he is used as an excuse for almost everything by everyone including the serbs).

i do not see how crimes of the other side justify your own crimes. the way i see it crimes of my own side should matter more to me.

but then i guess there are too many idiots on all sides who discourage such way of thinking.

This whole argument is nonesense. Serbs started the war period. It is they who should pay Croatia for the war costs. Also does it make anysense for a country to accept a hostile minority. The Serb rebels paid a heavy price for their actions.
(Boban77, 5 August 2009 16:55)

That's so convincing isnt't it?
You will need to come up with a lot more than just that.
Everyone knows that it was Croatia who were arming themselves and smuggling weapons through Hungarian border BEFORE any war.

According to the Erdut and Dayton agreement all removed Serbs are entitled to compensation. It is not and should not be dependent of improved relations.

After reading posts from our brave Croatian "friends" I am totally disgusted.

Since bombing innocent civilians (women and children) is ever justified for anything?
Croatians keep saying that the Serbs started the war and therefore their women and children deserved to be slaughtered.

@proudAboriginal,

Not very good at history, eh?

Croats started the war, when their armed militants attacked Borovo Selo. They thought that people there were defenseless, but brave Serbian volunteers managed to retaliate attack. Then Croats took several nurses as hostages and withdrew. JNA, which didn't participate in these events, took them prisoners and handed over to Croatian authorities.

Also it was Croats who de facto first started military actions in BiH - at the beginning of 1992 Croatia started a redeployment of its subversive groups and arms to BiH. Ethnic cleanings against Serbs were unleashed in Mostar, Bosanski Brod, Kupres, Bugojno.

We could argue about the rebel held krajina for ever but I believe there is one solution to this problem. All Serbs to Serbia, All Croats to Croatia and Bosnia to be split between Serbs & Croats. All we have today is the Serbs & Croats bickering about Oluja & Vukovar, while the Bosnians are silently building there dream of Islamic superiority in the region behind our backs. Will the Serbs & Croats ever learn.

Someone mentioned Vukovar ...
yeah... When JNA entered Vukovar they found a lot of Serbian victims: Reuters reporters documented about 200 Serbs killed, Italian journalist showed by TV 40 murdered Serbian babies, Russian journalist Ovcharenko and someone else (I don't remember who else) witnessed in a hospital courtyard bodies of Serbs with their limbs cut and eyes pulled out.

The half of Vukovar was populated by the Serbs, and its suburbs were dominated by Serbs. Among Serbs there was no support for HDZ and it was the reason why its Serbian leaders were arrested, Croats attacked JNA barracks, and Serbian civilians in suburbs.

But it was Croats who won information war.

RE: Who started the war?

You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who started the war.

Croatia did not want to stay in a federated Yugoslavia and made its intentions clear with the help of Stipe Mesic who was essentially a spy withn the Federation of Yugoslavia.

However, the Krajina Serb leadership must bear responsibility for not negotiating some agreement as full autonomy was sitting on the table. The Serbian Krajina leadership under Boban and later Martic rejected autonomy offers twice.

Many blame Milosevic for pulling the Generals from Krajina. He had no choice because the Martic leadership chose to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Krajina. Ratko Mladic was deliberately distracted to Eastern Bosnia so that Operation Storm would succeed.

For Croatia to declare this as some sort of "victory" is laughable, there was no war but a slaughter of Serbian eldertly who were left behind. The Canadian UN peacekeepers could not stop the Croatian troops from looting, burning and the slaugther of innocent civilians.

@Ante
"Serbs who left so-called Krajina are compensates for their property loss. They can either have their homes rebuilt in Croatia or take the money and stay in Serbia."

My dear, the things are absolutely different!

HRW Report of 2008

"Serb returnees continue to suffer violence and intimidation, particularly in north Dalmatia"
"Serbs continue to face difficulty repossessing occupied homes, despite court judgments in their favor. Repossession cases linger in the courts. There is still no effective remedy for those seeking the return of occupied agricultural land. At this writing, there are 7,743 pending appeals (mostly from Serbs) against rejected applications for reconstruction assistance."

"there was no progress toward a viable solution for Serbs stripped during the war of the right to occupy socially-owned property"

This analysis is veeery soft, given that "The closure of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe mission in December 2007 created a human rights monitoring gap."

Sorry, I forgot to post the link of HRW report
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/79189

Mr. Fair, it's absolutely incomparable!

How can you compare defence with ethnic cleansing and DELIBERATE bombing of a column with Serbian refugees?

"I was on a truck full of people when we heard a warplane fly over head, and then open fire.

"People started panicking and running away. I was one of the last to leave the truck, and, when I was alone, I turned around and saw my son's headless body, with my husband behind him, also dead.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4747379.stm

This article raises a very valid point and one that is barely mentioned in the so called "comments" section. When will the land be returned to the Serbs? Most of the Serbs that own titles for their land in Croatia have not been able to move back. The land and/or homes are usually occupied by squatters. When taken to the courts even a court ruling does not help. In any case the courts will make it a very difficult process to obtain a judgment in the first place. In most cases it is quite clear that Serbs are not welcome back.

Peggy, Of course weapons were being brought in as a precaution. Croatia was way under armed and this makes perfect sense considering the environment. And we thank our Magyar friends for their assistance.

Again does it make any sense for a hostile minority to return? Will they fight for Croatia and cheer for the National Football team?

I am friends with Croats of Serb ancestry and they are fine. They stayed and fought for Croatia and I love them as much as anyone else.