PODRUTE, Jan 7 (Hina) - A comemoration was held in Podrute near Novi Marof in northern Croatia on Monday at the site of an accident in which five members of the European Community Monitoring Misssion were killed ten years ago today.
Wreaths were laid by the families of the victims - Marco Matta, Silvano Natale, Fiorenzo Ramacci, Jean Loup Eychenne, and Enzo Venturini - and by Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on behalf of the Croatian government. The observers, although unarmed, were the victims of a brutal revenge of "an already defeated army," said Minister Picula, referring to ex-Yugoslavia's federal army, and voicing hope that those responsible, the pilot who fired the fatal missiles and his superiors, would be brought to justice. Speeches were also made by the head of the Monitoring Mission, Antoin Mac Unfraidh, Italian and French Ambassadors to Croatia Fabio Pigliapoco and Francis Bellanger, and b
PODRUTE, Jan 7 (Hina) - A comemoration was held in Podrute near Novi
Marof in northern Croatia on Monday at the site of an accident in
which five members of the European Community Monitoring Misssion
were killed ten years ago today.
Wreaths were laid by the families of the victims - Marco Matta,
Silvano Natale, Fiorenzo Ramacci, Jean Loup Eychenne, and Enzo
Venturini - and by Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on behalf of the
Croatian government.
The observers, although unarmed, were the victims of a brutal
revenge of "an already defeated army," said Minister Picula,
referring to ex-Yugoslavia's federal army, and voicing hope that
those responsible, the pilot who fired the fatal missiles and his
superiors, would be brought to justice.
Speeches were also made by the head of the Monitoring Mission,
Antoin Mac Unfraidh, Italian and French Ambassadors to Croatia
Fabio Pigliapoco and Francis Bellanger, and by Lt. Col. Domenico
Barbaglio on behalf of the Italian army. They also laid wreaths, as
did representatives of local authorities and the Croatian Armed
Forces General Staff.
Mass was celebrated by the papal nuncio in Croatia, Giulio Einaudi,
with the participation of Varazdin and Banja Luka bishops Marko
Culej and Franjo Komarica.
Also today, Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic presented the
victims' families with the Order of the Croatian Clover decoration
for outstandings merits.
The lives of your dearest are embedded in the foundations of the
Croatian state and we are deeply grateful, Granic told the
families.
A decision to decorate the four Italians and one Frenchman was made
by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in late December.
The father of Marco Matta, one of the victims, thanked the "Croatian
government for remembering our deceased this way and paying respect
to their work and all those working for the benefit of peace."
Prime Minister Ivica Racan was also in attendance.
(hina) ha sb