"Publishing the controversial cartoons in Croatia or elsewhere is certainly not a wise move and can be damaging to the country and individuals," Mesic told reporters when asked to comment on the case.
The president said that a balance should be kept between the principle of freedom of speech and the need not to hurt anyone's religious sentiments. "We can believe that the authors of the cartoons did not want to offend Muslims, but the fact is that they are offended," he added.
"Freedom of speech is unquestionable in any country that is developing democracy, but no one should abuse that freedom. If it is abused, those offended deserve an apology, but violence as a response to the offence, no matter how hard it may be, is unacceptable both in this or in any other case," Mesic said.
"The cartoons in question are inspired by the fact that Islam is being abused as an excuse and justification for terrorism. We should fight against such abuse, but this should be done above all by the Muslims themselves," he added.