Return of cultural treasures must not precede that of Serbs

BELGRADE - The Association of Refugee and Other Associations of Serbs from Croatia has said that it opposes the initiative of Croatian MEPs to make the return of works of art taken out of Croatia during the 1991-1995 war part of Serbia's EU entry talks.

The Serb refugees and expellees said that the cultural treasures belong to Serbs in Croatia, adding that they expected Croatia's entry to the EU to end the tug-of-war over them.

They urged that the cultural treasures not be returned to Croatia before the conditions have been created for normal life, reconstruction of demolished houses and churches and a return of expelled Serbs, the association said in a statement.

They also said that Croatia disregards even its own legislation under which the rights of Serbs must be protected, including the right to use the Cyrillic alphabet, and warned that those who make the decision to return the cultural treasures will take the responsibility for their further deterioration and demise.

During the war in Croatia, around 7,000 icons disappeared from Serb monasteries and churches in the country, and some of them are now being sold on the black market outside Croatia, the statement said.

In addition to icons and religious service items, the majority of monuments have also been destroyed, including 3,000 memorials dedicated to the World War II liberation, mostly relating to the antifascist struggle of Serbs, the statement said.

We are not only talking about icons, but also about church service books, archival material and everything else that belonged to the Serbs, the statement said.

Even a nation more populous than the Serbs - who have all but physically disappeared from the territories in which they had...