"I've heard about (Social Democrat leader) Zoran Milanovic's comments, but they were expected considering that we all had difficulty talking him into welcoming the Holy Father (in Croatia)," Kosor said.

The government's position is that one should work on returning property to those from whom it was unjustly seized and that was the topic of yesterday's meeting at which no concrete decisions were made, Kosor said.

Social Democrat (SDP) leader Milanovic told some electronic media earlier in the day that the restitution of property seized from the Church during the Communist rule was not a new obligation, but one defined by an international treaty that was binding on Croatia. "Why the issue has remained unresolved for years is a different matter. We all use the pre-election time trying to get people to like us. The motives, however, can be different," Milanovic said.

Asked is she would participate in a face-to-face election debate with Milanovic on the commercial television network RTL, Kosor said that she was willing to participate in any election debate but that all slates should have the same treatment.

"We are talking about four parties and four men, party presidents, and I want to face them all, the four of them on one side and I on the other, as the head of all (HDZ party) slates. It would only be fair and logical because the SDP is not running in elections on its own, it's four parties on a single slate," said Kosor.