Eurasia Press & News
Central manifestation marking the 16th anniversary of the Croat army Operation Storm will be held on Friday in the town of Knin.
Top state and military officials will attend the celebration.
Aside from the anniversary of the Operation Storm, which expelled around 200,000 Serbs, Croatia today celebrates Victory Day and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, as well as Veterans Day.
Croat Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač were convicted in the Hague Tribunal of the crimes committed during the Storm.
Croat President Ivo Josipović and Prime Minister Ivo Josipović and almost all top state officials were present in Knin on Thursday when children of the Croat soldiers killed during the operation revealed monument Storm ’95. Around EUR 807,000 was invested in the construction of the monument.
The Croat politicians once again expressed their support to the Operation Storm and stressed that history would not be revised.
“From Knin, where greater Serbian Milošević’s policy was defeated, I say that we will not allow anyone to revise Croatian history and touch our sanctities,“ Kosor pointed out.
The Croat president said that the Operation Storm was one of the most important moments in Croatia’s history in which Croatia, as he said, defended its honor, freedom and democracy on its own.
The Operation Storm started with Croat army, police and Croat National Defense Council’s offensive in Banija, Lika, Kordun and northern Dalmatia, i.e. Republic of Serb Krajina. A day later, the Croat army entered almost abandoned Knin.
Gotovina and Markač were, as participants of joint criminal enterprise, convicted on April 15 in the Hague Tribunal of crimes committed against Serb civilians during and after the Operation Storm. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 and Markač to 18 years in prison.
