Croatian president criticizes decision to recall ambassador

Croatian president criticizes decision to recall ambassador

ZAGREB -- Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has said that the withdrawal of Croatia's ambassador from Belgrade was "a hasty decision."

"I think the situation needs to be calmed down because it is currently not benefiting good interstate and neighborly relations between Croatia and Serbia," she told the Zagreb-based daily Jutarnji List.

Grabar-Kitarovic recalled that in December, "when Vojislav Seselj was released from The Hague," the leader of the SRS party made "Greater Serbia statements on the day of the fall of Vukovar", while she asked the Croatian government to withdraw its ambassador for consultations, "considering that the Serbian government had not distance itself from these statements."

"What is happening now is highly reprehensible, especially the burning of the Croatian flag. Equally completely unacceptable are statements made by Minister (Aleksandar) Vulin in relation to the Homeland War, Operation Storm, General (Ante) Gotovina and Prime Minister (Zoran) Milanovic," she said, adding:

"However, I think that the withdrawal of the ambassador for consultations was hasty. A protest note should have been lodged along with a clear condemnation of the actions of Minister Vulin and Seselj."

The Croatian government reacted to this by saying the president's position on the issue was "incomprehensible."

"As far as we are concerned, the government is fully behind Minister of Foreign Affairs Vesna Pusic, who decided to recall (Goran) Markotic for consultations," said a senior government official, according to Jutarnji List.

The government explained that the move was "in the diplomatic sense" a message to Serbia that its...