Mesic is quoted as saying it is absolutely certain that Gotovina is not in Croatia because Croatia is the last place he would hide, since everyone is looking for him. He adds that by the same logic Croatia could be asked to extradite Osama bin Laden. If Gotovina is not in Croatia, then he is not in Croatia, he is quoted as saying.
European Voice says that the European Union has decided to start entry talks with Croatia only in case of full cooperation with the Hague tribunal, namely if Gotovina is extradited.
Mesic claims Croatia has done everything in that respect. Croatia has frozen his assets and the assets of his potential collaborators, he is quoted as saying, adding that the people who helped fugitives indicted by the Hague tribunal have been eliminated from the system, with indictments issued and other measures taken against them. Mesic adds that no one can say Croatia is not doing everything it can.
Of 626 requests from the Hague tribunal, Croatia has met 625, except in the case of a man whose whereabouts nobody knows, Mesic says, adding that evidence of Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal has been sent to the tribunal, Brussels, the other EU capitals, the European Commission and the European Parliament.
According to Mesic, delay of Croatia's entry negotiations might increase Euroscepticism in Croatia and the entire region. He says Croatia's neighbours might interpret it as meaning that it is not worth to fight for European standards, which he adds is an area Croatia has progressed the most in.
According to the weekly, European and American analysts maintain that yielding to Croatia in terms of honouring the Hague tribunal's demands would send an even worse message to the region, notably to Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mesic dismisses such comparisons, saying the practice of comparing Croatia to the other former Yugoslav countries should stop. Croatia never had concentration camps on another country's territory, while Serbia did, he is quoted as saying.