The information that the Serbian reporters were told not to go to Osijek was published by some Croatian media on Monday evening and independent member of the Croatian Parliament Branimir Glavas also said that a journalist of the Belgrade-based Nin magazine cancelled an interview with the explanation that she, together with other Serbian journalists, were warned at a border crossing by a Croatian police officer when they were entering the country that it would be better for them not to go to Osijek due to the unfavourable security situation there.
The head of the Osijek-Baranja Police Chief's office, Stipo Rimac, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that he had telephoned the Serbian delegation's head and that they denied such information. The reason why the delegation had not come to Osijek yesterday were some delays in the programme of their tour and their planned visit to the capital of Zagreb.
Rimac added that some checks had been made at the Tovarnik border crossing where the Serbian delegation entered Croatia and it was established that nobody made suggestions that it would be better for the reporters not to visit Osijek for security reasons.
"The general security situation in Osijek is favourable, and therefore we regard that the misinformation (about security concerns) has caused damage both to the City of Osijek and the Osijek County Police," the statement concluded.
Glavas, who was recently stripped of immunity so that an investigation into his role in war crimes against Osijek civilians in 1991 could be launched, said on Tuesday that he was outraged at the fact that "a bus with Serbian reporters on a tour of Croatia changed its journey after a border police officer told them that the police could not guarantee their safety in Osijek".
Croatian Interior Minister Ivica Kirin on Tuesday afternoon said that he had no official information that the border police had advised the Serbian delegation not to visit Osijek due to a poor security situation.
Kirin stressed that the security and safety situation in Osijek was good.
The minister said in Zagreb after a parliamentary committee's session that he was surprised by reports that the journalists had given up the tour of Osijek due to the information they had received upon entering Croatia.