Croatia trial for two ex-generals

Mr Norac's indictment was a political test for the Croat government

Two former Croatian generals have gone on trial in Zagreb, in the first case to be referred back to Croatia by the international war crimes tribunal.

Rahim Ademi and Mirko Norac are accused of massacring Serb civilians in 1993 in the "Medak pocket" in southern Croatia.

Croatian forces briefly recaptured the village from the self-declared Serb Krajina republic that at one time took up nearly 30% of Croatian territory.

The charge sheet includes the killing of 28 civilians and five prisoners.

Some of the victims were tortured before they were killed.

The two generals have protested their innocence.

The operation ended in a clash between Croatian forces and UN peacekeepers.

Gen Norac is already serving a 12-year sentence for war crimes committed in the Gospic area in 1991.

Gen Ademi surrendered voluntarily to the tribunal in 2001 and had been awaiting trial at liberty.

Correspondents say the trial is seen as a test of Croatia's readiness to join the European Union.

The tribunal's decision to transfer the case to Zagreb was in recognition of the progress Croatia had earlier made in dealing with war crimes investigations, the BBC's Balkans analyst Gabriel Partos says.