THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE

The wheels of justice grind slowly, 'tis said. So it was heartening to read last week that two retired Croatian generals have been convicted by a U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague of various crimes, and sentenced to long periods in prison (18 and 24 years respectively). A third general was acquitted on all counts.

The events in question took place during the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1995, some 16 years ago. The Serbs had occupied a part of Croatia called Krajina since the start of the war in 1991, and the Croatians eventually hatched a plan to take it back. Around 200,000 ethnic Serbs were driven from their homes, and at least 150 killed. Various atrocities were committed by the military against the civilian population, including murder and forced deportation.

It was accepted that the two generals, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, had not committed the crimes personally. However, Operation Storm was ordered by former President Franjo Tudjman, and they were involved in its planning and execution. As such, they were part of a "joint criminal enterprise", and therefore guilty.

The men are widely viewed as heroes in Croatia, so the verdict went down very badly in Zagreb. It may also be adjusted or overturned on appeal. However, it was vital to send a clear message to Croatia (and, waiting in the wings, both Serbia and Bosnia) that if it wants to join the E.U., then the boils from the Yugoslavian conflict need to be lanced. Even if they took place a long time ago.

Walter Blotscher