The Serbian government said in a statement on Tuesday that it had responded several times to inappropriate statements about Serbia and its officials made by senior Croatian officials.
The statement was issued in response to a question put by Serbian Radical Party deputy Milorad Buha at a session of Parliament in early October. The government said it had brought such statements to Croatia's attention during official bilateral contacts.
The statement, quoted by Beta news agency, mentioned an increasing number of public statements by Croatian officials, notably Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, regarding 1995's Croatian military offensive known as Operation Storm and war crimes indictments issued by Serbia, in which Serbia was mentioned in a negative context. It said that such statements were contrary to the previously expressed readiness of the two governments to promote bilateral relations and cooperation.
It has been made clear to Croatia that Serbia expects a fair treatment from its politicians during preparations for the parliamentary election and that they should refrain from statements that would compromise the reputation of Serbia and its officials and the overall relationship between the two countries, the statement said.
The Serbian government quoted Serbian President Boris Tadic as saying that such statements "do not contribute to the promotion of good neighbourly relations".
