Posted on 01/14/2008 12:20:29 PM PST by Diocletian
Zagreb, 14 Jan. (AKI) – The leader of minority Serbs in Croatia, Milorad Pupovac, said on Monday the formation of the country’s new government was an historic moment in the country's 16 years of independence.
Pupovac, who as head of the Independent Serb Democratic Party (SDSS), became deputy vice-premier in prime minister Ivo Sanader’s government on Saturday.
He said it was an important achievement in overcoming the traumas of Croatia’s war of secession from the former Yugoslavia in 1991-1995.
“It is a historic moment because it is the first time since the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and the existence of an independent Croatian state that a Serb party signs a coalition agreement with the strongest Croatian party and joins the government,” Pupovac said in an interview.
SDSS joined a coalition with Sanader’s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which won the 25 November elections, and several other parties in forming the new government sworn in by the parliament.
Serbs in Croatia represented 12 per cent of Croatia’s 4.5 million population before the war and rebelled against the republic’s secession. But over 200,000 fled the country when the rebellion was crushed in 1995.
They are now estimated to represent less than five per cent of the population.
Croatia is expected to join NATO at a summit in Bucharest in April and the European Union by 2010.
What a good start for a new year. I hope their reconciliation goes well.
The Serb leader, Pupovac, was roundly denounced and threatened by Belgrade’s agents in the run up to the war for trying to deal with Croatian authorities instead of blowing up Roman Catholic churches and evicting Croatians from their homes. He’s been shown to have great foresight. A good start to the year, very true :)
Pupovac is a token Serb to make Croatia look good for their EU bid. Surprised that he could even be allowed to serve given that Serbs are nolonger considered "a constituent people" in Croatia.
As for that Serb "blowing up Catholic churches" I did a search on the "Catholic churches destroyed in Croatia". When you weed out the Croat sites that include the Orthodox churches destroyed by the Croats into their figure, virtually all the sites keep referring to to the destruction of Serbian Orthodox churches in Croatia. Here's one from The Council of Europe. Yes, some Catholic churches were destroyed, but comparatively, it is a very small number.
"Serbs in Croatia represented 12 per cent of Croatia’s 4.5 million population before the war... They are now estimated to represent less than five per cent of the population.
Successful Croat ethnic cleansing.
Trying to rewrite history?????
All you need to do is read post #3 to get an idea as to how Croat "reconciliation" will go!
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