"My expectations before meeting with President Nikolic have remained the same. I hope the meeting will take place, but only when we are able to offer the citizens of both countries proof that what we are doing is good and and well accepted," Josipovic said when asked to comment on the statement by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic that during his recent visit to Zagreb the Croatian president had "clearly expressed his readiness to meet with President Nikolic."

Josipovic noted that under the word progress he primarily meant the issue of missing Croatian citizens. "My expectation before our meeting is that we see an improvement in that regard and that we have exchanged all the necessary information to shed light on the fate of missing persons," he said.

When asked if there was a date for their meeting, Josipovic briefly responded: "No, not at all."

Commenting on the announced signing of a memorandum with Slovenia to settle the Ljubljanska Banka issue, Josipovic said that he had been optimistic from the start that an agreement on the bank issue would be reached and that Slovenia would ratify Croatia's EU accession treaty in time.

"I think that this is good and that it is a compromise that lays the ground for different arrangements, but let's leave the two governments to deal with the problem further," Josipovic said and added: "I am certain that the Slovenian parliament will ratify the treaty."

Speaking of the withdrawal of Croatian peacekeepers from the UN mission on the Golan Heights, Josipovic reiterated that he had made this decision in consultation with Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic. "That was preceded by a piece of advice I had received from services that are responsible for such maters," he said, adding that he would submit his decision to Parliament for approval as provided for by law.

Foreign media wrote recently that Croatia had allegedly smuggled arms for Syrian insurgents, and Josipovic said that regardless of the fact that the Croatian government had denied such reports they could still produce some adverse effects.

"The perception of our troops there is changing from unbiassed to biassed, and in circumstances of war that means a lot. At this moment our troops there are not ready for such a situation both in terms of their numbers and equipment," the president said.