Josipovic said that at his first meeting with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor he would agree with her on specific measures to be taken to create an anti-corruption climate in the country, adding that he would also demand maximum effort on the part of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the police and security services in cracking down on corruption.

"It's an important test for Croatia. If we fail, we run the risk of falling into the jaws of corruption forever," Josipovic warned in an interview with the Media Servis radio network.

Josipovic reiterated that although he had won the presidential election as the candidate of the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), he would not be a president tending to party interests.

Commenting on the possibility of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the SDP forming a coalition, Josipovic said that it was up to the two parties to decide. "As president, I will neither push for such a coalition nor will I be against it," he said.

Josipovic said that in light of a previously announced meeting between Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and SDP president Zoran Milanovic the least he expected of the two leaders was "to reach a consensus on strategic moves regarding the economy." It would be very good if they agreed on how to tackle economic problems, he added.

Josipovic confirmed that he and Interior Minister Tomislav Karamarko had very quickly agreed on all details relating to his security. "We agreed on modalities that meet both the professional requirements and my request that I want to know who protects me."

He also confirmed that he had an informal meeting with President Stjepan Mesic on Monday and that a formal meeting would follow.

Josipovic said he was pleased with the ongoing preparations for the handover of presidential office. He said there would be a lot of guests at his inauguration, but would not reveal any names, citing security reasons.

Josipovic said that the present staff would continue working in the President's Office, but added that there would be some slight changes. He said his office would have "a strong IT component" because he wanted to be "a president for the 21st century". "The composition of my staff will show that they are not a team recruited from one party," he stressed.

Josipovic said he would continue the tradition of meeting citizens, either on the social network Facebook, where 11,000 people are waiting to become his friends, or by arranging a coffee with the President or by going to a concert.

Josipovic stressed the importance of having good relations with neighbouring countries, saying that all outstanding issues should be settled as soon as possible rather than leave them to be dealt with by generations to come.

Speaking of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Josipovic said that any solutions imposed from outside would not be tenable, but only those agreed upon by the country's three constituent peoples.

"A basic solution needs to be agreed upon by all three peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina and needs to guarantee the equality of the Croatian people," he said.