Kosor said that Mesic's statement, that she could work in the waiting area of the prime minister's office, insulted her as a woman and a presidential candidate, all the more so because it came from the incumbent president of the republic.
She said she was willing to accept Mesic's apology and confront him in a one-on-one duel in a run-off election.
Kosor recalled that she had entered the presidential campaign as a deputy prime minister and minister and that her term in office was approved by parliament. "Mesic should not forget that," she added.
"I appreciate the culture of dialogue and I have never insulted Stjepan Mesic," Kosor said.
Kosor denied Mesic's allegations that during her recent visit to Mostar she had promised the Bosnian Croats funds from the Croatian national budget.
The HDZ presidential candidate has so far spent 3.28 million kuna on her presidential campaign, Kosor's campaign leader Ratko Macek said on Thursday.
Kosor's campaign is being financed by the HDZ with funds the party receives from the national budget in proportion to the number of its deputies in parliament and from the membership fees of HDZ officials and other party members, Macek said.