- Published: 04.02.2015.
FM: Although genocide wasn't proved, war crimes were committed
Although Croatia has failed to prove that genocide was committed, that does not mean that war crimes did not occur, and they were committed by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and paramilitaries from Serbia
"Although genocide as a deliberate intent to destroy a group in whole was not proved, that does not mean that there was no war or war crimes," Pusic told the press. "All the war crimes that were considered by the court occurred in Croatia. Someone attacked Croatia and started a war in Croatia, and those were remnants of the JNA and paramilitary forces from Serbia. It all happened in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, during aggression on Croatia," she added.
Croatia hopes that Serbia will start dealing with the issue of missing persons in accordance with the court's judgment, and both countries should look forward and ensure for their future generations that war does not happen again, Pusic said.
"The court has concluded that one of the main tasks regarding the war of the 1990s is to shed light on the fate of missing persons. That was a Croatian claim and a precondition for a possibly different court of events, but there had been no will to disclose information on missing persons. I hope that our colleagues in Serbia will comply with the court's instructions and get down to this task, which has a dramatic human aspect, and that is to shed light on the fate of missing persons," Pusic said.
"We all have a duty to rule out a possibility of anything similar happening in the future, for the sake of generations to come, and I hope this judgment too is a contribution to closing this chapter of history and moving forward towards better, more constructive and safer times," Pusic said.
The ICJ on Tuesday dismissed the genocide lawsuits filed by Croatia and Serbia against each other. The ruling is final and not subject to appeal.
(Hina) vm