Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia
On 20 November 1991 Lord Carrington asked: "Can the internal boundaries between Croatia and Serbia and between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia be regarded as frontiers in terms of public international law?" Applying the principle of "uti possidetis juris", the commission concluded on 11 January 1992, "The boundaries between Croatia and Serbia, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, and possibly other adjacent independent states may not be altered except by agreement freely arrived at... Except where otherwise agreed, the former boundaries become frontiers protected by international law".
Operation Jackal
In August 1990, a Serbian uprising occurred in Croatia centred on the Dalmatian hinterland around the city of Knin, parts of the Lika, Kordun, and Banovina regions, as well as in settlements in eastern Croatia with significant Serb populations. The areas were subsequently named the Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The RSK, supported by Serbia, declared its intention to integrate with Serbia, and was denounced by the Government of Croatia as a rebellion. Tensions rose and by March 1991 the Croatian War of Independence had broken out. With the disintegration of Yugoslavia, in June 1991 Croatia issued its declaration of independence which became official on 8 October after a three-month moratorium. The RSK then initiated a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Croatian civilians and most non-Serbs were expelled by early 1993.