Serbian President Apologizes for Vukovar Massacre

Serbian President Boris Tadic (C) walks to lay a wreath at Ovcara monument. Photo by BGNES

Serbian President Boris Tadic has apologized for the Croatian victims of the notorious massacre at Vukovar in 1991 during the wars in former Yugoslavia.

"I am here to pay tribute to the victims and express my sorrow and apologies", the Serbian President stated during a visit to the memorial in the Croatian city of Vukovar of the 264 people murdered

Thus, Tadic became the first Serbian leader to pay respects to Vukovar victims.

The Serbian Preident and his Croatian counterpart, Ivo Josipovic lay wreaths for 18 Serbs killed by Croats in a nearby village, in this way condemning all acts of war crime.

However, a number of Croatian right-wing parties and war veteran groups have called for protests, arguing that Tadic's apology is worthless because his visit is taking place in an "unofficial" capacity.

The Vukovar massacre is the bloodiest episode of the war between Croatia and Serbia dominated remnant of Yugoslavia, in which Croatia gained its independence. It is condemned as a war crime and took place between November 18 and November 21, 1991 near the city in Northeastern Croatia.

A total of 264 people, 263 men and one woman, all non-Serbs and mostly Croats, were murdered by members of the Serb militias in the aftermath of the Serb takeover of the city. The victims were buried in the Ovcara mass grave located about 5 km south of Vukovar.

Earlier this year, the Serbian president went to Bosnia to commemorate more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed by Serb forces at Srebrenica in 1995.

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