SARAJEVO
Thousands of war veterans and victims, citizens and state officials have marked the 23rd anniversary of the fall of the east Croatian city of Vukovar.
Croatian President Ivo Yosipovic, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and Parliament Speaker Josip Leko were among those who attended ceremonies to mark the deaths of 3,000 people and disappearance of more than 350 others at the hands of Serb forces which entered Vukovar in tanks on Nov. 18, 1991.
The commemorations began at the Vukovar State Hospital, where injured victims were treated during the conflict 23 years ago, and continued to a war memorial and cemetery where the remains of the murdered victims are buried.
- Crucial battle
Croatian flags were hung from the windows of houses throughout Vukovar and candles were lit in memory of the victims.
The battle for Vukovar was crucial for Croatia during the war as the city was besieged and virtually leveled to the ground by the former Yugoslavia's People's Army.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has sentenced former Yugoslav army officials Mile Mrksic and Veselin Sljivancanin to 10 years and 20 years in prison, respectively, for the massacre of civilians in the city.
After the war, Vukovar was placed under UN administration and reintegrated into Croatia in 1998.
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