Purda is currently in custody in Zenica, central Bosnia and Herzegovina, pending a Bosnian State Court ruling on Serbia's extradition plea over war crimes charges.

Regarding the Nova TV reporter's remark that many Croatian citizens felt that Purda was sacrificed, betrayed and an example of injustice, Kararamko said this simply was not true.

The minister said he was in possession of a document saying that Purda was notified on the Interpol Red Notice on 13 July 2007.

He would not say if Purda was notified by someone from the system.

Asked if he took seriously the mention of weapons at recent veterans' rallies, Karamarko said such gatherings were rife with emotions stemming from a feeling of injustice and that people spoke at such rallies with raised voices, that there were tensions and that it mentioning weapons was possible, but that he did not see it as sabre-rattling.

Asked if only a section of the veteran population was disgruntled or if political groups were behind them, given that this is election year, Karamarko said that many benefitted from this or would like to benefit or use this.

Asked if he had decided to join the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), he said he was not thinking about it at the moment, but that "everything is possible." Asked if Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor had invited him to join the party, he said they had not discussed it officially.

Asked if his political and world views were those of the HDZ, Karamarko said the HDZ and the Democratic Christian and centre world view were closest to his views.

Purda's Bosnian lawyer, Josip Muselimovic, told press that Purda did not know about the warrant for his arrest in 2007.

"I spoke to (Purda) several times and he never told me that. If he had known about it, he probably would have told me," he said.

Purda's Zagreb lawyer, Kresimir Krsnik, said it was "possible that those in power, owing to the dissatisfaction of veterans' associations, have become a little scared, as their current statements deeply contrast with what they were saying until now."

The Justice Ministry said on January 10 that it was not obliged nor could give information on persons on international arrest warrants, and that it was not authorised to act on the warrants, meaning that it could not inform the persons wanted.

The Interior Ministry, too, said at that time that it had no legal grounds to notify wanted persons, as that was confidential information.

The warrant for Purda's arrest was issued in 2007, when Interpol's Zagreb office notified the Justice Ministry and the State Prosecutor's Office, which concluded at a meeting with the Interior Ministry that Purda could not be transferred to Serbia.

Purda was arrested on the warrant, issued by the Serbian police on war crimes charges, on January 5 this year as he was entering Bosnia and Herzegovina.