Vucic, Dodik lay wreaths at Petrovac Road memorial

BOSANSKI PETROVAC - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik on Friday laid wreaths at the Petrovac Road memorial near Bosanski Petrovac, Republika Srpska, erected on the site where the Croatian air force bombed Serbs who were fleeing Croatia on August 7, 1995.

Ten people, including four children and a 20-year-old girl, were killed and more than 50 other civilians, many of whom were children, were wounded in the massacre, which took place during Croatia's military operation "Storm."

Other victims deserve respect, too, but the Serbs must not be forced to forget Serb children who were killed just because they were Serbs, Vucic said.

"There was an intentional silence about everything, and the few brave people have spoken about this. We will never be silent about our people, the Serbs, again" Vucic said at the wreath-laying ceremony.

"I have been picturing this place to myself and I knew that we have been neither willing nor allowed to commemorate an undeniable tragedy of our people on a site where ten people, including children aged 6, 9, 11 and 13, were killed just because they were Serbs," said Vucic, who is the first president of Serbia to lay a wreath at the memorial.

During Croatia's military operation, more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled from the western territories of the former Republic of Serb Krajina and their property was looted or destroyed.

One thousand and 853 Serbs, including 1,202 civilians, were killed or went missing during the operation and immediately afterwards.