Milanovic recalled that former SDP prime minister Ivica Racan had written to the then chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Carla del Ponte, over the indictment.

Since the charge of "joint criminal enterprise" is not stipulated in the tribunal's statute, General Gotovina cannot be found guilty of it, Milanovic said, adding that such a political indictment should be challenged by all legal and political means available.

The SDP leader said that the Hague tribunal had also done good things by convicting many war criminals.

When asked if it would be dangerous for Croatia if the charge of "joint criminal enterprise" was included in the court judgement, Milanovic replied in the negative.

Speaking of Croatia's European Union membership bid, Milanovic said that Croatia was more important than Europe. "Europe is a very important means, but it is more important for us to snap out of this lethargy and start creating jobs," he said, adding that "the EU is not a solution if you don't know what to do with yourself."

On the subject of forthcoming parliamentary elections, Milanovic said that the existing register of voters was "a fiction and forgery" and that the ruling coalition would decide about the boundaries of electoral districts. He stressed that the SDP would fight in Parliament against electoral redistricting.