"I've never supported the Ustasha regime. That's a set up," Mesic said, answering a question by a high school student at the opening of an EU info-centre.
Commenting on a video recording shown on the Croatian Internet portal Index.hr on Saturday, in which Mesic apparently spoke favourably of the Nazi-style Ustasha regime that ruled Croatia during the Second World War, the Croatian president said today that he was at a panel discussion attended by "emotionally charged up people" to whom he had to explain that anti-fascism had won.
I had to use a parable to explain to them that this was a victory because we got rid of the Yugoslav kingdom, Mesic said. He added that he never glorified the recognition of the Independent State of Croatia.
Mesic said the contentious statement was made in the times of war when all people needed to be united in defending Croatia from the aggression.
Commenting on the case of Croatian Radio Television reporters who got suspended over the broadcast of the contentious footage, Mesic said that he had neither requested nor wanted their suspension.