Croatia rejects Bosnian request to prosecute Croatian generals for Operation Flash

In May of 1995 Operation Flash liberated 558 square kilometers of Croatian territory occupied by rebel Serbs. The Croatian Prime Minister said that the Homeland War and operations Flash and Storm are the foundations of Croatian freedom and the modern Croatian state.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković received the commanding generals and high-ranking officers who participated in the Croatian offensive Operation Flash on Thursday. In addition to the Prime Minister, the meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Davor Božinović, Defense Minister Mario Banožić and Justice and Administration Minister Ivan Malenica.

After meeting with the prime minister and the president of the Croatian Generals’ Council, retired General Pavao Miljavac addressed the media. Prime Minister Plenković said that following a thorough analysis Bosnia’s request had been rejected as a point of national interest: "On the basis of this very detailed analysis, we in the government have decided to adopt a conclusion that will be forwarded to the Justice Ministry, and that is to reject the request that has arrived from the prosecution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We feel that the content of the documentation and material that has been submitted to us does not provide any basis for the legal authorities in Croatia to react."

For his part, General Miljavac expressed his dismay at the request from the Bosnian prosecutor’s office: "After so many years, it is in bad taste to file these kinds of indictments. All of us who participated in those military operations know very well that there were never any commands, neither verbal nor written, that would have raised the possibility of bombing civilian targets and in so doing commit of war crimes."

When asked if he fears that indictments, arrest warrants or similar actions will be undertaken in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Plenković said: "After the Prosecutor's Office submitted the request, all actions were terminated there. There is not a single action that is related to the hypothetical persecution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. When the Justice Ministry Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have no way of knowing what they will do next. It is obvious that if the Bosnian side had a solid case they would not have send a request to us."

Meanwhile, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Bosnian official Željko Komšić accused Croatia and Serbia of trying to annex parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Plenković rejected this claim as well: "We reject the thesis that Croatia would in any way endanger the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatia has done everything for Bosnia and Herzegovina to survive. Croatia's position on respecting the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina is clear. What is not clear to me is what anyone on the political scene could see here as an attempt to encroach on the territory of a neighboring state. We reject this thesis as incorrect. Croatia is a friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are directed at each other. Croats are one of the three constituent peoples that we pay special attention to, in line with the foundations of the Constitution and the foundation of common sense."

Source: HRT