"This is proof that Croatian services, even if they do their best, cannot do much on their own when a fugitive is in another country. But when other countries and their services cooperate with ours, this is the kind of result we get. I think the credit for this goes, first of all, to our services, because foreign services would not have intervened if no initiative had come from our side," Mesic told reporters in Slavonski Brod, about 200 kilometres east of Zagreb.
Asked if he expected the case of fugitive general Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal, to be solved soon, Mesic said he hoped the issue would be closed "because running away does not pay."
The president said he was increasingly satisfied with the implementation of the government's action plan to locate, arrest and transfer Gotovina to the Hague tribunal.
Mesic made the comments while on a visit to areas of Slavonski Brod County which were recently hit by floods.