Croatia protests over Seselj, summons ambassador to Serbia for consultations

The Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry on Wednesday sent a protest note to the Serbian Charge D'Affairs in Croatia, Bosa Prodanovic, and Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Gordan Markotic will be summoned to Zagreb for consultations

"War crimes indictee Seselj is trying to influence the region, particularly relations between Serbia and Croatia, by using hate speech, war rhetoric and symbolism and by setting the Croatian flag on fire outside a Serbian state institution. The Senior Public Prosecutor's Office, according to the Serbian media, has reacted by launching criminal proceedings which we see as a step toward calming the situation," the Croatian ministry said.

The Senior Public Prosecutor's Office has confirmed in a statement that criminal proceedings have been launched against Seselj over his setting Croatia's flag on fire.

In its statement, the Croatian ministry said that statements made earlier today by Serbian Labour Minister Aleksandar Vulin were "offensive, intolerable and highly irresponsible."

Vulin on Wednesday called on Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic to "refrain from speaking against Serbia" and rather "get over his vanity", visit Belgrade and speak his mind about Serbian people and Serbia.

Milanovic said yesterday that the decision by the Hague-based war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) that war crimes indictee Seselj should return to its detention unit would not destabilise the region.

"Come to Serbia and meet the 250,000 people persecuted during Operation Storm," Vulin told reporters in Jabuka near Belgrade, asking Milanovic "to tell the Serbs expelled from Croatia that they did not leave Croatia for economic reasons" but had to run before "former ICTY indictee Ante Gotovina" whom Milanovic calls an "angel."

(Hina) its

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