"(The) former Croatian general, wanted by The Hague on war crimes charges, has fled his homeland and could be hiding in Africa or South America, the country's leader said yesterday," The Times wrote.
"President Mesic said that a hunt for Ante Gotovina, accused of atrocities against Serb civilians in 1995, had led the Croatian authorities to conclude that he was no longer in the country," the newspaper said.
"He would be a very naive person to seek refuge in Croatia. We have no reason to protect anyone wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal," the daily quoted Mesic as saying.
However, Mesic's office underlined that the article gave a "rather liberal interpretation" of what the president had said.
During a visit to London earlier this week, Mesic granted an extensive interview to The Times in which he answered a series of questions regarding numerous issues, the source from his office told Hina.
Speaking of Gotovina, Mesic reiterated all the familiar positions, including the one that there were absolutely no clues which would indicate that Gotovina was in Croatia or within the reach of Croatian authorities.
The journalist then asked if it was possible that the fugitive was hiding in Africa or South America, to which Mesic said: "He could be anywhere but in the Republic of Croatia," said the source from Mesic's office.