Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday attended a commemoration for nine Serb civilians killed in Varivode in the aftermath of the 1995 Operation Storm, expressing sympathy for those whose lives Croatia had failed to protect and describing the crime as an insult to modern Croatia and human dignity.
The Prime Minister speech:
Respected families of victims,
Dear Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Milošević,
Minister of Justice and Administration, Mr. Malenica,
Distinguished envoys of the President of the Republic and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Mr. Tolnauer and Mr. Katičić,
President of the Serb National Council, Mr. Pupovac,
Distinguished envoy of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Matić,
Representatives of the diplomatic corps,
County Prefect, Mr. Pauk,
Mayors of Knin and Kistanje,
Metropolitan Porfirije,
Bishop Nikodim,
Representatives of the Serb National Council and the Independent Democratic Serbian Party,
Representatives of councils of the Serbian national minority of the counties of Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia and Zadar,
Representatives of civil society organizations,
Dear citizens of Varivode,
Twenty-five years ago, a month and a half after the end of Military-Police Operation Storm, in which a large part of Croatia was liberated and which practically ended the Homeland War, a serious crime was committed here in Varivode against innocent and helpless elderly people.
Nine civilians of Serbian nationality, your neighbors and family members, were brutally killed with firearms on their doorsteps, while there were no more active military operations in the area.
As Prime Minister of Croatia, I deeply regret this crime. On behalf of the Croatian Government, I express my condolences because of the loss of your family members whose lives the Croatian state unfortunately did not manage to protect.
Apart from the sadness that the crime brought upon your families, this crime is also an offence against modern Croatia because it insults human dignity. This crime conflicts with the ideals that inspired the vast majority of Croatian defenders – among whom were also many Serbs – as they honorably fought for our homeland. And they fought for a free, democratic and tolerant Croatia, in which all its citizens are equal, regardless of their national origin, religious or political beliefs.
The crime that was committed here is in stark contrast with the proclamation of former President Tuđman, who – on 4 August 1995 – called on citizens of Serbian nationality in the hitherto occupied territories to “stay at their homes and to wait for Croatian authorities without fear for their lives and their property, with guarantees of their citizens’ rights.”
The perpetrators of this crime caused damage to Croatia, as well. Because of people like them, who did not have the courage to surrender to judicial authorities, Croatian generals had to defend the honor of the Croatian Army and the Croatian state in the custody of the Hague Tribunal for years until their final acquittal.
Unfortunately, the crime in Varivode was not the only one of such nature. A month earlier, seven elderly residents of Gošić – not far from here – were killed. Two days earlier, in Grubori near Knin, six people. I mention here only the most known instances of crimes, but unfortunately – as we heard – there were more.
All these crimes, committed after Operation “Storm”, cannot be justified in any way, and we sincerely regret them. And as I said in Knin, any such act is painful for all the families of victims and an ugly scar on the just face and the defensive character of the Homeland War. The legitimate right to defense is not and cannot be an excuse for wrongdoings.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The message I want to send here is that these crimes were acts of individuals. Often motivated by sheer personal gain, they went on stealing raids into areas where organized civilian authority had not yet been established, which they used to commit crimes.
This was never the policy of the Croatian state, nor the military leadership, and especially not of President Tuđman, but independent acts of individuals, soldiers or civilians. This is clearly revealed also by the records of discussions at Government sessions at that time, which show that this crime faced immediate condemnation.
After the decision of the Supreme Court in 2012, the Municipal Court ordered compensation to be paid to families of victims, but in spite of this, our authorities have the task to find those responsible, because war criminals are not protected by the statute of limitations. This is our duty as a democratic and civilized society.
Croatia – in this war that it did not want – unfortunately had a large number of victims and thousands of missing persons. In Vukovar and Škabrnja and other places of suffering, some of the most heinous crimes after Second World War in Europe were committed.
The remains of 5,181 victims have been exhumed so far and 83% of them have been identified. More than 80% of those who were identified, mostly of Croatian nationality, went missing or died in 1991 and 1992 in the midst of aggression against Croatia. Slightly less than 20% of those who were identified, mostly of Serbian nationality, went missing or died in 1995.
But we are still searching for 1,869 people who went missing or who died in the Homeland War. We approach this humanitarian issue without distinguishing victims on any grounds. We expect intensified cooperation and exchange of information in this regard. Especially with Serbia, but also with other countries in our neighborhood.
Dear members of the Serbian community in Croatia,
Today I want to send you a message of reconciliation, as well as a message of hope for building a common future for all Croatian citizens, regardless of their origin. This does not mean to forget what happened in the war 25 years ago, but to draw lessons from it and give each other a hand of peace.
For Croats, this means gathering strength and acknowledging that in the Homeland War, despite its defensive nature, unfortunately crimes were committed against Serbian civilians that should not have happened, that have no justification, and that deserve full condemnation and prosecution of those who are responsible. Croatia defended itself from aggression, not from innocent civilians.
For Serbs in Croatia, this means gathering strength and acknowledging that Croatia was the object of aggression of the Milošević regime and the former Yugoslav Federal Army and that there cannot be any justification for an armed rebellion against a legally elected government and the democratic will of Croatian people to have an independent state. This deserves unequivocal condemnation, especially in this area in which – as early as August 1990 – first barricades were erected in the neighboring Smrdelje and Đevrske.
It also means clear distancing from the then “Greater Serbia” policy in whose name thousands of innocent people were killed throughout Croatia and which caused the death of thousands of Croatian defenders, many of whom are still missing, with many of the crimes still unpunished.
Among them are numerous crimes committed in 1991 in neighboring Croatian villages that were burnt to the ground: Ićevo, Rupe, Laskovica, Piramatovci, Krković, Cicvara and in the area of the Miljevac Plateau. There, dozens of elderly civilians were also killed, for which the perpetrators have not yet been held accountable.
We must all have the strength to assume our share of responsibility and calmly consider all the layers and the weight of the events of that time, and turn towards the future. Croatia, as the country that won the war that was imposed upon it, today has the strength to do so. It also has the duty and the desire to make all its citizens feel good in Croatia. It should be our new and common victory. As a society, we want to build better relations and strengthen mutual respect for the benefit of our common Croatian homeland.
This means better living conditions for all citizens and for all Croatian regions, whether they are inhabited by Croats, Serbs or other minorities. This is the only way we will use all the potential of our Croatia.
That is exactly why – in the program of our Government – we announced the project “Dalmatinska zagora, Lika, Banovina and Gorski kotar”. We strive to revive these areas and provide basic preconditions for development and a life worthy of the 21st century. I am thinking primarily of water, electricity and roads, as well as basic utilities, because this is a prerequisite for increasing economic activity and job creation.
Balanced development of Croatia is the first step in strengthening the equality of all its citizens. This is the direction that our Government promotes and which we will work on over the next four years, for the benefit of all Croatian citizens.
That is why we will continue our partnership, our sincere partnership, with representatives of national minorities in this mandate, because we are convinced that it is beneficial for the Croatian society. We are aware of the many inherited difficulties, but we are determined to solve them and we believe that we can achieve this with our effort and good will.
I am convinced that together, with renewed trust in Croatian institutions, we can build a better and more successful Croatia, in which all Croatian citizens of Serbian nationality – like our great Nikola Tesla – can say they are proud of their Serbian origin and their Croatian homeland!
Such a proud Croatia of all its citizens will be the greatest recognition to all the innocent victims and all those who fell defending Croatian freedom and democracy. It is up to all of us today to build such a Croatia with our daily efforts! Thank you!
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