"Croatia has good relations with Italy," Mesic told reporters when asked to explain statements made recently by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on Croatian and Italian victims killed during and in the aftermath of World War II.
"As for the foibe, I propose that we set up a commission consisting of forensic experts, both Croatian and Italian or whoever Italy chooses to propose, to investigate all the foibe requested by Italy and determine once and for all the number of victims, so that we could put an end to World War II," Mesic said.
"Zagreb will send such a proposal to Rome," he said, recalling that similar commissions had investigated fascist crimes and that the same should be done with crimes committed by the Partisans.
"I made that proposal to Prime Minister (Ivo Sanader) and he agreed," Mesic said.
The president reiterated that he did not want to negate the crimes committed by Croats. "I have always claimed that our forces too committed crimes during WWII. I cannot justify crime. Some crimes were committed in Istria at the end of the war as well. But Croats were not the only ones in the People's Liberation Movement, the entire Yugoslavia participated in the uprising and the movement, fighting fascism," Mesic said.
"Some of our tragedies were affected by Italian fascism," Mesic said alluding to crimes committed against Croats by Italian fascists.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano last Saturday added fuel to the flames by saying that the crimes committed by the Patrisans were the result of "Slavic bloodthirsty hatred".
President Mesic responded on Monday by saying that one could not but detect elements of racism and political revenge-seeking in Napolitano's statement.
What Mesic holds particularly intolerable is the questioning of international peace agreements signed by Italy and the former Yugoslavia.
"Those calling for the amending of the agreements that were internationally ratified and adopted by Croatia as a successor to Yugoslavia, live in an illusion. We will never abandon the agreements and the principle of pacta sunt servanda," Mesic said.
Italy and the former Yugoslavia had agreed that Rome, which until 1943 had been on the side of the Axis powers, would not pay Yugoslavia compensation for war damage, but that it would pay compensation to Italian refugees from Croatia and Slovenia.
"Italy was obliged under international agreements to pay compensation to those who opted for Italy," Mesic said, speaking about people who chose to move to Italy after WWII.
Under the agreements, Croatia must pay Italy its share of the debt (amounting to USD35 million), but Rome has still not submitted the number of the bank account into which money is to be paid.
Mesic would not comment on Italian PM Romano Prodi's statements about the Croatian-Italian war of words.
"I won't comment on anyone's statements, but I believe that the spirit of the Italian people is not reflected in the message that crimes were committed by the bloodthirsty Slavs either," Mesic said.
"The initiative for a trilateral meeting of the presidents of Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, at which disputes from the past would be resolved, has existed for a long time and has been negotiated since the term of the former Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, with whom I have established friendly relations," Mesic said.
Asked if he would talk to Napolitano at least by telephone, Mesic said: "Take it easy, one cannot understand everything in one day".