Croatia, Serbia mark anniversary of Flash operation

02/05/2008

ZAGREB, Croatia -- In separate services Thursday (May 1st), Croatia and Serbia marked the 13th anniversary of the Flash operation, the controversial retaking by Zagreb of Western Slavonia, a breakaway Serb territory in Croatia. A church service in Western Slavonia commemorated the 42 Croatian soldiers who died in the operation. Croatian President Stipe Mesic, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic attended the ceremony. Mesic and Sanader hailed the operation as the start of Croatia's gradual road to full liberation.

Meanwhile, at St. Mark's Church in Belgrade, a service commemorated the victims of what Serbs view as Croatian aggression against their compatriots in Western Slavonia. According to Serbia, the operation, which lasted less than 36 hours, resulted in the deaths of 280 people and displaced 15,000 Serbs from their homes. Croatia's Helsinki Committee for Human Rights says 83 Serb civilians died. (HRT, HINA, Vecernji List, Tanjug, Blic - 01/05/08)