"We have unfortunately turned the problem that has arisen into a big damaging story for Croatia both on the home front and on the foreign policy front," President Josipovic told reporters after a traditional reception of citizens in the President's Office, when asked if this scenario concerning the EAW was really necessary for Croatia. He recalled saying in July that if Croatia made an error then it needed to rectify it.

Josipovic believes that today, as a mature society, Croatia is in a fortunate position to raise questions of the past, particularly those relating to political issues and politically motivated crimes.

In order to successfully raise that question and for it to become a certain catharsis and message, this has to be done by avoiding party politicking and showdowns, which seems to be happening now, he said.

"To raise awareness of the problem of political crimes means to have equal criteria and to recognise that crime has no political colouring relevant to current political preference and affiliation. That means, to recognise that there have been many unsolved murders, for example that of Bruno Busic (a Croatian dissident murdered in 1978) but also murders with a different political preference, such as the murders of Milan Levar and Milan Krivokuca and the Zec family (ethnic Serbs killed in the early 1990s)", said Josipovic.

The president believes that today we need a mature political approach without everyday politicking and resentment. "That presumes punishing the perpetrators regardless of their colour, and conditions exist to identify the perpetrators. We have to have clear moral criteria that are equal for all. Unfortunately, it seems we still don't have those criteria and I am fighting for them", stressed Josipovic.

I consider that it is unacceptable that someone who has been convicted for a political murder and released under unclear circumstances should be giving lectures on public television instead of being in jail.

We have to have absolutely equal criteria and I advocate that everyone, including Josip Perkovic, who may be accountable, answers for them, that is a democratic approach to equal criteria, President Josipovic pointed out.

He advocates that an investigative commission be set up to resolve the problem which, as he assessed, is becoming a serious point of dissension in society. He considers that the commission should not consist of party officials but representatives from the judiciary and historians.

President Josipovic did not wish to comment on whether the Perkovic case had come under the statue of limitations, stating that this could be a case that could come before the courts.

He responded positively to a question whether he advocated constitutional amendments relating to the statute of limitations on communist crimes. "That is a matter of relations in society and not just toward politically motivated crimes but all grave crimes. I personally support the idea that the statute of limitations be removed not just for politically motivated crimes, but for all grave murders that are comparable. I welcome amendments to the Constitution or law by which the statute of limitations would be removed for the gravest murders, including those politically motivated. Some countries have taken such an approach and there is no reason why we shouldn't," President Josipovic said.