The Croatian government on Monday issued a statement in response to a statement made by Serbian President Boris Tadic on Sunday, saying that the liberation Operation Storm was a legitimate and just operation.
"With regard to Serbian President Boris Tadic's position on this year's celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and War Veterans' Day, the Office of the Croatian Prime Minister reiterates that the liberation Operation Storm was a legitimate and just action which defeated Slobodan Milosevic's policy of aggression. Apart from liberating occupied Croatian areas, the victory over the tyrant in Operation Storm paved the way to democracy also for our neighbours," the statement said.
"The Croatian Government will continue to support the development of good neighbourly relations based on the principles of freedom and democracy and by rejecting any kind of rehabilitation or downplaying of Milosevic's policy of aggression."
Serbian President Tadic on Sunday issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's statement at Friday's celebration of the 16th anniversary of Operation Storm, greeting generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac whom the Hague tribunal in April this year convicted pending appeal for war crimes committed against Serb civilians during and in the aftermath of Operation Storm.
"No election campaign or fight for power should have as its goal the glorification of those who have committed war crimes," Tadic said in the statement, describing this as an irresponsible policy and reiterating that Operation Storm resulted "in the death of innocent victims and in the exodus of more than 200,000 Krajina Serbs."
Tadic also noted that Kosor's statement did not contribute to the development of good neighbourly relations between the two countries.
Addressing those present at the central ceremony marking Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, War Veterans' Day and the 16th anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin, PM Kosor said that "without Operation Storm and the commanders who led it, we would not be here today, we would not have anything to celebrate and would not have anything to be proud of." Greeting Croatian veterans and generals, Kosor sent special greetings to generals Gotovina and Markac.
