"Here, where the first big spark of liberation victory was lighted, I want to say that there is no force or historical justice... that could change the truth about what happened in the Homeland War. We will not tolerate any attempt to rewrite the truth about that period," Sanader said at a ceremony marking the 12th anniversary of the military and police operation "Flash" which liberated Western Slavonia and started the process of re-establishment of Croatian rule within Croatia's internationally recognised borders.
The ceremony was attended by the head of state, the parliament speaker, the prime minister, the Armed Forces chief-of-staff, government ministers, parliamentary deputies, and representatives of local authorities.
The government is paying special attention to the formerly war-affected areas and the return of their prewar residents, Sanader said, adding that the liberated areas should be zones of economic development and prosperity.
Sabor Speaker Vladimir Seks, under whose auspices today's ceremony was held, said that despite attempts to question the legitimacy and justifiableness of Croatian Army liberation operations, "we know that they were a lawful and legitimate means to which every internationally recognised state has a right".
"Operation Flash took rebels so much by surprise that they resorted to the only remaining option, terrorism. In response to the blitz success of the Croatian army and police, they acted as criminals and cowards and shelled our towns, killing innocent civilians," Seks said.
He went on to say that Croatia's achievements in the last 12 years were proof of the maturity of Croatia's democracy and of the credibility of Croatia's policy from the time of its first president, the late Franjo Tudjman.
President Stjepan Mesic said that in military terms, the army and police operation "Flash" had been carried out in line with customs of war and international conventions.
He said that in the wake of Operation Flash "irresponsible individuals committed incidents which should be condemned", adding that "those incidents must not diminish the importance of the operation".
"We must individualise guilt for the sake of the purity of the Homeland War and our just fight. We must do so also for the sake of generations to come, to make them proud of what we did to defend Croatia," Mesic said.
Mesic pointed to the importance of military reforms and Croatia's accession to the European Union and NATO, adding that the country should become a NATO member for the sake of military security and the political and economic benefits of NATO membership.
After the ceremony, the state and other officials attended the opening of veterans' sports games and a service for Croatian soldiers and civilians killed in the war.
Earlier in the day, state and other delegations laid wreaths and lit candles at the Memorial Park of Croatian Knights in Okucani.
Operation Flash began at 5.30 am on 1 May 1995 and ended next day in the afternoon. In 36 hours 800 square kilometres of the Serb-occupied territory of Western Slavonia were liberated. Forty-two Croatian soldiers were killed and 162 were wounded.
In an act of revenge for the defeat, rebel Serbs on 2 and 3 May shelled downtown Zagreb, targeting civilian buildings. Six people were killed, 39 were seriously wounded and 136 lightly wounded in the two-day attack. Croatian Serb rebel leader Milan Martic, who ordered the attack, was indicted for war crimes by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.