President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic's envoy, Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anusic, said that too much time had elapsed in the search and that too many requests for information on the fate of the missing had been sent.
The relevant services are expected to search for the missing in an organised fashion, "but not in the way that we beg the opposite side to do so," but rather use all legal means of pressure that are used by other countries, such as diplomatic and economic pressure, or pressure that can be exerted given Serbia's aspirations to join the European Union, said Anusic.
Political pressure needs to be exerted on Serbia from the highest level because conferences where we try and console each other just end at that, Anusic said.
Veterans Minister Tomo Medved reported that to date 150 mass graves and more than 1,200 individual graves had been uncovered from which 5,127 people had been exhumed. The search goes on for 1,533 defenders and civilians and another 419 defenders and civilians who are known to have been killed and buried but it is not known where, he said.
He added that the ministry had stepped up activities in the search for the missing and that a protocol on cooperation was signed with Bosnia and Herzegovina in that regard. Cooperation has been established with Montenegro, however, "Serbia is continuing not to cooperate and is not contributing by delivering information on the fate of missing persons, which hampers our work," Medved said.
He called on Serbia to hand over official records of where grave sites with the remains of Croatian nationals were located and appealed to anyone who may have any information of that nature to come forward.
Wreaths were laid at Osijek's central cemetery and Mass was celebrated to mark the day of missing persons.