advertisement
Sat, May 25 2013
EU welcomes Croatia – Serbia ‘reconciliation initiative’
Croatia's president Ivo Josipovic, right, and his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić pay their respects to 18 Serbs killed by Croats in 1991, in the village of Paulin Dvor, eastern Croatia, November 4 2010.
Photo: Reuters
European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle has welcomed the "important step forward towards reconciliation" represented by the visits by Croatian president Ivo Josipovic and Boris Tadić to Vukovar and Paulin Dvor, sites of atrocities during the 1990s war in the former Yugoslavia.
"Such places could become the symbols of reconciliation and an example for the entire Western Balkans region," Füle said.
During a visit to a memorial to 260 people murdered at Vukovar, Tadić expressed his "apology and regret" the BBC said.
Vukovar was captured in November 1991 after a three-month siege by the Serb-led Yugoslav army. The victims of the massacre had sought refuge in the town's hospital. But two days after Vukovar was seized, they were led to the site of a pig farm and shot, their bodies left in a mass grave.
Tadić and Josipovic went together to the memorial at Ovcara and laid wreaths at the site of the mass grave.
Serbia recently made progress in its aspirations to join the European Union when the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to forward Belgrade’s application to the European Commission.
At the same time, Serbia has been urged by the EU to meet key requirements including showing that it is co-operating properly with the international tribunal in The Hague on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
Serbia also has been told to show that it is building good neighbourly relations in the region, including with Kosovo, the independence of which is recognised by all but five of the EU’s 27 states but which is rejected by Belgrade.
Füle said: "We attach particular importance to good neighbourly relations and regional co-operation as part of the Stabilisation and Association process.
"Much has been done over the past year by the leadership in Serbia and Croatia, including the signing of several important bilateral agreements on police co-operation, defence co-operation and extradition of citizens suspected or convicted of serious crimes. We expect this commendable work to continue."
The fresh impetus that has been given to Croatia-Serbia bilateral relations by such high-level events could help to solve the outstanding bilateral issues in a true European spirit, Füle said.
"Both Croatia's and Serbia's future lie in the European Union, a Union where reconciliation is one of the founding features," he said.
Serbia news website B92 said that "an almost unanimous assessment of Serbian president Boris Tadić’s first visit to Vukovar is that it is a new page in history of Belgrade and Zagreb.
"However, what comes next is solving of specific problems, such as exchange of war documents and solving the issue of the missing persons, analysts say," B92 said.
"Such places could become the symbols of reconciliation and an example for the entire Western Balkans region," Füle said.
During a visit to a memorial to 260 people murdered at Vukovar, Tadić expressed his "apology and regret" the BBC said.
Vukovar was captured in November 1991 after a three-month siege by the Serb-led Yugoslav army. The victims of the massacre had sought refuge in the town's hospital. But two days after Vukovar was seized, they were led to the site of a pig farm and shot, their bodies left in a mass grave.
Tadić and Josipovic went together to the memorial at Ovcara and laid wreaths at the site of the mass grave.
Serbia recently made progress in its aspirations to join the European Union when the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to forward Belgrade’s application to the European Commission.
At the same time, Serbia has been urged by the EU to meet key requirements including showing that it is co-operating properly with the international tribunal in The Hague on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
Serbia also has been told to show that it is building good neighbourly relations in the region, including with Kosovo, the independence of which is recognised by all but five of the EU’s 27 states but which is rejected by Belgrade.
Füle said: "We attach particular importance to good neighbourly relations and regional co-operation as part of the Stabilisation and Association process.
"Much has been done over the past year by the leadership in Serbia and Croatia, including the signing of several important bilateral agreements on police co-operation, defence co-operation and extradition of citizens suspected or convicted of serious crimes. We expect this commendable work to continue."
The fresh impetus that has been given to Croatia-Serbia bilateral relations by such high-level events could help to solve the outstanding bilateral issues in a true European spirit, Füle said.
"Both Croatia's and Serbia's future lie in the European Union, a Union where reconciliation is one of the founding features," he said.
Serbia news website B92 said that "an almost unanimous assessment of Serbian president Boris Tadić’s first visit to Vukovar is that it is a new page in history of Belgrade and Zagreb.
"However, what comes next is solving of specific problems, such as exchange of war documents and solving the issue of the missing persons, analysts say," B92 said.
-
Print
-
Send via email
- Translate to
-
Share:
Comments
To post comments, please, Login or Register.
Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.
Croatian president Ivo Josipovic to visit Germany despite threat
A letter and grenade were delivered to Croatia's Berlin embassy on January 17 2011. German media report the letter threatened the Croatian president for efforts to mend ties with Serbia.
Former Croatian PM Sanader arrested in Austria
The government said Sanader, who earlier left the country, was wanted for allegedly taking part in a criminal activity and abuse of power for personal financial gain. Sanader says the accusations against him are politically motivated.
Croatia's former prime minister Ivo Sanader flees the country
Sanader fled hours after officials probing government graft asked parliament to lift his immunity from prosecution.
Croatia should speed up prosecutions of war crimes suspects - Amnesty International
Behind a wall of silence: Prosecution of war crimes in Croatia, shows how the country’s justice system is failing to provide many of the victims of the 1991-1995 war with justice amid continued delays, threats against witnesses and concerns over standards, according to Amnesty International.
UN agency welcomes Serbia-Croatia agreement on refugee, return issues
The United Nations refugee agency welcomed on November 26 2010 an agreement between Croatia and Serbia to resolve their mutual refugee and return issues, and called on the two nations to ensure that it is translated into concrete action.
Media ownership in Serbia
It is necessary to secure transparency of ownership of the media through the amendment of legal regulations, and information about this must be publicly available.
Kosovo: UN Secretary General Ban welcomes potential dialogue between Priština, Belgrade
'This dialogue is expected to open a new phase, help build confidence between the sides and lead to the resolution of issues which are important for the consolidation of peace, stability and reconciliation in Kosovo and in the region,' Ban said, calling on both sides to begin this process rapidly.
Serbian president Tadić to visit massacre site in Croatia
Tadić will be the first Serbian leader to pay his respects to the victims of the massacre at Ovcara, where more than 200 Croats were killed. Croatia has described the event as an attempt to relax relations between the two countries, but Croatia's right-wing politicians believe that this is an unnecessary visit which will not change anything.
Bulgaria ‘strongly welcomes’ EU ministers' decision on Serbia
Belgrade wants to open negotiations immediately after getting candidate status, but there are key outstanding issues including the country’s fugitive war criminals.
More in this category
Czech Republic, Romania mull shale gas moratoriums
Governments in Prague and Bucharest could soon join Sofia in instituting temporary moratoriums on shale gas exploration.
Serbia: Tadić leads as presidential elections head for second round
Coalition around ruling Democratic Party has largest share of vote in Serbia's parliamentary election, according to exit polls.
Greek voters punish major centre-right, socialist parties at polls
Centre-right New Democracy is said by exit polls to have largest share of votes, but diminished even from its 2009 defeat, while socialists Pasok – the 2009 victors – gets somewhere around 14 to 17 per cent.
Deal on OSCE role in Serbian elections welcomed
An agreement reached with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will allow voters with dual citizenship in Kosovo to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia.
Macedonia arrests 20 suspected terrorists
Twenty radical Muslims suspected of being members of a terrorist group that has been linked to the murder of five fishermen in early April.
© 2000-2013, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.
Web Design by RIZN
Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted.
Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only
with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site.
Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com.
Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments.
The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the
price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes,
and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.
- Economedia Group portfolio:
- In Bulgarian:
-
Business:
Капитал,
Кариери,
Пазари,
Ho Re Mag,
Регал,
Градът.bg,
Одит,
Foton.bg,
Online shop
- News: Дневник, Европа, Foreign Policy - България
- IT: IDG.BG, Computerworld, PC World, CIO, Networkworld
- Entertainment: Бакхус
-
In English:
The Sofia Echo
Since the Treaty of San Stefano signed March 3, 1878 Serbian Nationalism, Radicalism, Chauvinism and Irredentism, continuously, systematically, persistently and tenaciously killed and eradicated tens of thousand of Innocent Croatian, Bosnian and Kosovars every year. The West Europe did nothing to stop them but supported them and is as guilty as Serbs.
Thanks god this stopped on 1995-2000, and now there is some hope that this would come to a halt. But the geopolitical strategy of France and west Europe is to favor Serbian in expense of the others. The objective of Paris-Belgrade-Moscow Axis is to recreate the [...]
Read the full comment Greater Serbia, with the aim to control the central Europe.
For Croatia, Bosnia and Kosova it isn’t a good idea to join the Divided EU controlled by France and Russia.
Hi Peggy, what is there not to get? You dont seam to like living with your own genocidal butcher heros, why should anybody else?
As for your throat being full of lies, dong get a big head i dont mean you literally, but the serbs that have already brainwashed you till now.
There is nothing to vent, Its only your camp that fabricates and gets humiliated. Im all for it, continue your great tradition. But dont expect nobody to just idly listen to Serv myths as facts.
Oh dear - a bit of a "dialogue of the deaf" here.............
@rented, do you have anything constructive to add to this debate or you just wnat to vent?
Hi Peggy
Just pay up to your own dues and go back to Servia to live with your genocidal maniacs on the loose.
All your fabrications got stuck in your throats. So many lies day in and day out. Now back to Srivberia :D
@SimplyStated, you really live up to your name.
So Serbia has to apologise to Albanians because Albanians are trying to steal a part of Serbia? Do you also expect an apology from the Serbs for not having twice as many organs to remove?
What about not having more cemeteries in Kosovo for Albanians to desecrate and scatter the remains? How about the Serbs apologise for 2004 in Kosovo as well because surely that was their fault too. All those churches are definitely an eyesore.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained foul, abusive or discriminating language
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained foul, abusive or discriminating language
This idiot apologised for 260 dead? What about my 750,000 dead from '41 to '45, murdered by Croatian Nazis? What about the thousands of dead Serbs from 1991 to 1999? Where's an apology for their actions?
Everyone knows that a civil war didnt start for no reason. It was a civil war. So when Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic get out of their graves and apologize for starting the war in the former Yugoslavia then we will have peace. The borders of the former republics of Yugoslavia were never official borders after 1945. So Serbia which by population takes up more than half of Yugosalvia should rightfully have a free homeland. Also Islamic thug terrorists dont belong in the heart of Christian Europe thats how the war started in Serbia - Kosovo.
Has Serbia apologised for expelling 500,000 ethnic Germans after WWII?, Has Serbia apologised for killing 200,000 Albanians during the second Balkan war of 1913?, Has Serbia apologised (or even explained) how 1.5 million Serbian Muslims disappeared between 1860 and 1910?...and lets not even talk about what the Serbs did in Bosnia in the 1990s. If I were a Serb, I would not be trying to compare what other countries have or have not done because I would lose that argument pretty quickly.
has croatia apologized for the genocide of 700,000 serbs from 1941-45?
has croatia apologized for expelling 400,000 serbs in 1995?
has the albanian leadership apologized for the destuction of 140 churches in kosovo, and expelling 250,000 serbs in 2004 from kosovo provice?
These gestures are nice but ultimatley they are little more then symbolic window-dressing. For Serbia to really show it's interest in moving forward it needs to formally apologize to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Kosovo for the crimes that were committed by Serbs living in those countries witht he support of the Milosevic regime, they need to arrest and extradite the genocidal war criminal Mladic, and they need to stop destablilizing Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Only then will Serbia truly change direction and improve its standing in the region and the world.