ZAGREB, Jan 20 (Hina) - The National-Liberation Army of Croatia's Tenth Zagreb Corps marked the 57th anniversary of its establishment in Zagreb on Saturday with a ceremony attended by chief of state Stipe Mesic. "It is a privilege to
be with you today, because without you there would have been no federal Croatia, nor the Constitution of 1974 on the basis of which the present-day Republic of Croatia was created," President Mesic said in his address. The former Yugoslav federation could not be transformed without a war because on its rubble Slobodan Milosevic attempted to create an ethnically pure Greater Serbia, said Mesic. He conceded, however, that in Croatia too there had been forces which saw in that a chance to expand Croatian territories. All those wanting to alter history are condemned to failure, the president added. He stressed it was necessary to prosecute and individualise crimes committed in
ZAGREB, Jan 20 (Hina) - The National-Liberation Army of Croatia's
Tenth Zagreb Corps marked the 57th anniversary of its establishment
in Zagreb on Saturday with a ceremony attended by chief of state
Stipe Mesic.
"It is a privilege to be with you today, because without you there
would have been no federal Croatia, nor the Constitution of 1974 on
the basis of which the present-day Republic of Croatia was
created," President Mesic said in his address.
The former Yugoslav federation could not be transformed without a
war because on its rubble Slobodan Milosevic attempted to create an
ethnically pure Greater Serbia, said Mesic. He conceded, however,
that in Croatia too there had been forces which saw in that a chance
to expand Croatian territories.
All those wanting to alter history are condemned to failure, the
president added.
He stressed it was necessary to prosecute and individualise crimes
committed in the Homeland Defence War, Croatia's early 1990s war of
independence from the former Yugoslav federation, in order to avoid
making Croatia a hostage to collective guilt. Everybody has to bear
the consequences of their actions, he said.
Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic reminded that more than 7,000 Tenth Corps
soldiers had sacrificed their lives to defend and preserve
Croatia's current borders.
Retired general Josip Skupljak said that almost 20,000 soldiers,
mainly from Croatia's north-west, had passed through the Corps
during World War Two.
(hina) ha