Croatia leads its foreign policy by itself, Social Democratic Party (SDP) president Zoran Milanovic said on Saturday commenting on stormy reactions in Serbia to Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's visit to Kosovo earlier this week, adding he was surprised the visit had not taken place sooner.
"We lead our own foreign policy, we decide where we will go and when," Milanovic said on Croatian Television when asked if he supported Kosor's visit to Kosovo.
Things are very clear, he said, adding that no further tensions should be fomented over this.
He described relations with Kosovo and Serbia as delicate, saying they should be approached very carefully.
He added, however, "If I were (PM), if I ran the government, I would have gone to Kosovo even sooner," saying that one had the impression that the visit had been timed for the parliamentary election campaign.
Milanovic said that, in relations with Kosovo and Serbia, he was first and foremost interested in work, jobs, prosperity and the promotion of Croatian products and companies for which, he added, that was a natural area of legitimate expansion. "That's what I'm interested in and we mustn't endanger that by any action."
Asked if he too, like Kosor, would have greeted Hague war crimes tribunal indictees Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac on Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, which Serbia had also condemned, Milanovic did not answer directly.
"If we all feel, and we do, that the (non-final) sentences against (those two Croatian army) generals are too severe, namely that they are not guilty, then we should be guided in everything we do and say by the goal to help those people, not to endanger their position," he said.
Speaking of the platform of the Kastav Group opposition coalition, Milanovic said the parties were agreeing the election programme and that there were no significant differences between them.
"Our goals are clear. Tourism, but profitable and throughout the year, food, energy and (building) the infrastructure we still need. That will be the backbone of our platform."
Milanovic reiterated that "a tsunami of good intentions" could be expected in Croatia before December's parliamentary election, but said the difference was in who would carry them out.
"This election is a fight for people's trust and not about selling them a story and tricking them, but honestly telling them what is ahead of us and how to achieve that," he said.
