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A Serbian spy campaign allegedly sought to discredit the Croats and bring back memories of their antisemitic past.
THE two men outside the Jewish community center in downtown Zagreb on August 19, 1991, would hardly have aroused suspicion. Their identity cards bore Jewish names: Vinko Alkalaj and Boris Levi. They would also not have looked out of place visiting the Jewish cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
Nevertheless, a short while after their alleged visits, two blasts rocked the city causing extensive damage to both sites.
Now, the two are on trial, along with several former top Yugoslav army officers, for the bomb attacks and for trying to destabilize the new Serbian government. It is a case which is extremely complicated, even by Balkan standards.
The Jewish community center - a short walk from the city's main shopping center, the Ilica Boulevard, and from the US Consulate - had to be rebuilt. Today, it stands painted a rosy pink among the old gray buildings on Palmoticeva Street, guarded by young members of the Zagreb Jewish community and sophisticated electronic devices.
But, during the hot days of that month, Serbian forces had managed to set up many encampments in the capital of Croatia. It was only two months after the fighting had begun and Yugoslavia startedbreaking up, says...