- Title: CROATIA: SERB TROOPS SURRENDER AFTER FEROCIOUS FIREFIGHT IN PAKRAC
- Date: 4th May 1995
- Summary: PAKRAC, ZAGREB AND KNIN, KRAJINA, CROATIA (MAY 4, 1995)(RTV - ACCESS ALL) PAKRAC, CROATIA (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) VEHICLE APPROACHING 0.06 2. SV PRESIDENT OF SERB MILITARY COUNCIL IN PAKRAC OBRAD JOVANOVIC BEING ARRESTED 0.18 3. SV PRESIDENT OF PAKRAC CIVIL COUNCIL MIROSLAV GROZANIC SPEAKING WITH CROATIAN SOLDIERS 0.26 4. SV ANOTHER SERBIAN OFFICIAL BEING ARRESTED/CIVILIANS WATCH/ CROATIAN SOLDIERS SITTING AT SIDE OF ROAD 1.11 5. SV UNITED NATION (U.N.) ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS (APCS) AT THE EDGE OF TOWN / AUDIO OF SHELLING 1.17 6. SV ARMED U.N. TROOPS RUNNING ALONG ROAD 1.23 7. SV U.N. TROOPS ON APC, GUNS POINTING FROM HATCHES IN SIDE 1.30 8. SV U.N. TANKS MANOEUVRE 1.38 ZAGREB, CROATIA (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 9. SCU UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) SPECIAL ENVOY TO FORMER YUGOSLAVIA YASUSHI AKASHI SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 2.18 10. SV AKASHI'S CAR DRIVING OFF 2.23 KNIN, KRAJINA, CROATIA (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 11. SV BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC AND LEADER OF REBEL KRAJINA SERBS MILAN MARTIC (GREEN UNIFORM AND MOUSTACHE) SEATED AROUND TABLE AS ARMY OFFICER STANDS IN FRONT OF MAP SPEAKING TO THEM 2.40 12. SV SPEAKER OF BOSNIAN SERB PARLIAMENT MOMCILO KRAJISNIK (GREY HAIR) SEATED ON RIGHT OF TABLE OPPOSITE KARADZIC 2.46 13. SV VARIOUS AROUND TABLE 2.48 SEQUENCE 9 transcript: AKASHI :"I AM CONFIDENT IT (THE CEASEFIRE) WILL HOLD TODAY. LAST NIGHT AROUND MIDNIGHT I SPOKE TO MR MIKELIC (KRAJINA SERB PRIME MINISTER BORISLAV MIKELIC) WHO HAS ASSURED ME THAT THEIR SIDE WILL HONOUR THE AGREEMENT SO LONG AS THE REST OF THE PROMISES MADE WITH REGARD TO REFUGEES AND OTHER SECURITY MEASURES ARE ADHERED TO." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 19th May 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PAKRAC, ZAGREB AND KNIN, KRAJINA, CROATIA
- City:
- Country: Croatia
- Reuters ID: LVA9WPBXO1ZTL8OX6C4Z9UYGHE0J
- Story Text: Croatian radio said rebel Serbs who defied ceasefire orders after Croatian troops overran a separatist pocket surrendered on Thursday (May 4) after a ferocious firefight in the divided town of Pakrac.
Croatian forces in Pakrac sealed off the area and were conducting searches for arms held by the defeated Serbs.
President of the Serb military council in Pakrac, Obrad Jovanovic, and president of the town's civil council, Miroslav Grozanic both surrendered to the Croatian forces on Thursday.
They were searched and taken away in cars.
Some 200 Serb troops, the remnant of a defeated force of 2,500, earlier shelled the town, prompting a hail of mortar and cannon fire from the Croatians.
According to the Croatian state news agency HINA, the battle between the Serb militiamen holed up in wooded hills near Pakrac and Croatian troops in the town stopped at around 4 p.m. (1400 gmt).
A majority of the Serbs soldiers laid down their guns on Wednesday and retreated to Bosnia under United Nations (U.N.) protection after their political leaders ordered a ceasefire.
Earlier in the day U.N. special envoy to former Yugoslavia, Yasushi Akashi said he was confident the ceasefire deal would hold.
"I am confident it will hold today. Last night around midnight I spoke to Mr Mikelic (Krajina Serb premier Borislav Mikelic) who has assured me that their side will honour the agreement so long as the rest of the promises made with regard to refugees and other protection measures are adhered to," he said.
Later in the day Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic met the ultra-nationalist rebel Serb leader Milan Martic, in his Knin stronghold to discuss the attack on Serb forces by the Croatian army.
After the meeting a statement was released, which threatened to retake territory lost to the Croatian army this week unless the U.N. restored Serb control over the area and Croats returned to their original positions.
The Croatian army seized Western Slavonia back from the Serbs earlier this week, prompting Serb rocket attacks on Zagreb which killed six people and wounded almost 200.
The loss of Slavonia was the worst blow suffered by Croatia's Serb minority since they rebelled against independence four years ago and occupied a third of the country.
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