"He can always say Mass wherever people were killed. None of the people killed there should have been executed without a trial," Mesic said in response to questions at a press conference on the northern Adriatic island of Brijuni where he had opened a conference on quality.
Mesic said that Bleiburg could be compared to Jasenovac only in that people had been killed at both sites, but stressed that the difference between them was that "none of the 80,000 or so people killed in Jasenovac was responsible for any of the victims in Bleiburg, while among the people killed in Bleiburg there were those responsible for many deaths in Jasenovac."
Speaking of Kosovo, the Croatian president expressed hope a proper solution would be found to the Kosovo status issue.
"Kosovo should become a safe region to the satisfaction of all its residents and entire Europe. Unfortunately, that part is still undefined. Considering the fact that the architecture of this region has already been determined, the only issue left to be resolved is the status of Kosovo," Mesic said.
"Kosovo was in two associations: with Serbia and it was also a constituent element of the former Yugoslav federation. Since the federation doesn't exist anymore, it is now necessary to define Kosovo's status with international assistance. I think in the end we will get a good solution," he concluded.