Mesic sued the daily for running an article headlined "Glas Koncila: Mesic was Staff Manager for UDBA", which the daily carried in late June from a feuilleton published in the Glas Koncila Catholic weekly.
Mesic claims that the daily did not merely carry the article, but went a step further, calling him a staff manager in UDBA (the former Yugoslav secret service).
Although Vecernji List published a denial from the Office of the President, Mesic is bothered by the fact that the daily did not apologise, but kept claiming that it had only carried the article.
He added that he could not say that the daily's editorial policy was pro-Ustasha, but that the daily did employ people who were bothered by his anti-fascist attitude and were using every opportunity to attack him.
Asked who was behind the attacks, Mesic said that those were people who had unlawfully privatised Vecernji List and who did not like that the country was being democratised and opening up to Europe.
"My policy bothers those who would like to see Croatia isolated again and they will do all to discredit the policy I advocate."
Mesic went on to say that competent institutions did not fully investigate the privatisation of the daily and that the parliamentary commission entrusted with investigating the case was not interested in establishing the truth.
Asked why he had not sued Glas Koncila as well, Mesic said that the weekly too had made a mistake.
"Glas Koncila made a mistake, it was about manipulation as well, and they were very well aware of that. But bishops say that they have no influence whatsoever on the weekly's editorial policy and I believe them, Glas Koncila is an independent paper and I can only be mad at the editorial policy and believe that they intentionally made the omission, and they too probably know something about the sin of omission," Mesic said.
Commenting on the reporter's statement that freedom of the media had been frequently mentioned this year in the context of the election of Hina's Steering Board and about speculations regarding changes in the management of the national broadcasting company HRT, Mesic said that it was still not known what had happened in Hina, but that it would be clear once the newly elected board decided on the agency's new director and editor-in-chief.
"I want to see Hina headed by a reporter in the true sense of the word, and if the new Steering Board is strong enough to elect an editor-in-chief and a director who will respect their profession, I won't care about how they were elected."
Mesic reiterated that it would be best for HRT manager Mirko Galic to complete his term and that the best candidate for his successor be elected in the meantime.
Asked about the next parliamentary elections, Mesic said that he did not feel he owed anything to any of the parties which financed his presidential campaign, but would support such a party that would guarantee fight against corruption and crime and the implementation of planned reforms.
Asked if Croatia would be led into the EU by the HDZ or the SDP, Mesic said that it was a matter to be decided by citizens and that he hoped Croatia would join the bloc by the end of his presidential term in 2010.