SERBS IN VUKOVAR WILL MARK NOVEMBER 18

VUKOVAR, Nov 17 (Hina) - A joint statement was issued on Tuesday by Serb parties on the occasion of November 18 and the seventh anniversary of the Serbian occupation of Vukovar, eastern Croatia. The statement was issued by the Joint Council of Serb-majority municipalities of eastern Croatia, the Independent Serb Democratic Party (SDSS), and Serb associations of victims of war, missing, or abducted persons. Seven years ago, the town of Vukovar and its residents of all nationalities and faiths experienced the hardest moments in their long existence, said the statement. It added it was therefore "justified for those who on that day lost someone or something, as well as for those who took part in that drama, from any side, to remember those events and pay homage to those killed." "We expect and seek from all who will go to cemeteries and other sites of tragic events on that day to act in a dignified manner, not to provoke others, and not to insult their feelings. "Understanding that all have equal right to sorrow and pain, we appeal that November 18 be not turned into a day of new victories or a source of new conflicts. Piety towards all those killed obligates us to make on that day a new step towards mutual rapprochement," the statement concluded. (hina) ha mm