Mesic took part in a panel debate and spoke about Croatia today and the causes of the war in Southeast Europe. Other participants in the debate included Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Salvadorean President Elias Antonio Saca.
Hatred was not the cause of the war, the cause of the war was the attempt to create Great Serbia on the ruins of Yugoslavia, and hatred is the result of the war, Mesic said, adding that the hatred that had remained after the early 1990s war was the biggest problem in that part of Southeast Europe.
The wars ended and we have stayed within our borders, we have not moved an inch, therefore that war was not even necessary, said Mesic.
He recalled that Croatia had been attacked, subjected to an arms embargo and forced to defend itself alone.
We were buying arms left and right, in which various criminals also took part and this is why today we have the problem of corruption and money laundering because large sums came from our diaspora and from our budget, Mesic added.
He went on to say that after the war Croatia moved on and launched regional cooperation in all areas. We had to cooperate also with those we had fought against, he said, highlighting the importance of individualising crimes as a way of freeing the collective from responsibility.
When we did that, we turned to Europe and its standards and the terms the EU sets its members, Mesic said, adding that Croatia expected to wrap up accession negotiations with Brussels in 2009.
On Sunday, before leaving Jordan, Mesic will visit the Iraqi Police Training Centre near Amman where two Croatian police instructors are currently engaged.