Dacic, Pusic urge resolution of open issues

Dacic, Pusic urge resolution of open issues

He said that the issues from the past should not hinder the economic cooperation and cooperation in the field of EU integration.

Pusic described Belgrade-Zagreb relations as very good, adding that Dacic's visit gave a fresh impetus to the cooperation defined two years ago.

“There is an open communication channel between Serbia and Croatia at any moment, and the states can discuss any problem which is a prerequisite for solving them,” she said.

Pusic said that they agreed that the two countries should harmonize the lists of the missing people from the past war, in line with international standards.

Dacic said that Serbia is ready for a constructive dialogue on the missing and the status of refugees from Croatia, 32,000 of them currently living in Serbia, and other open issues such as the one relating to the border on the Danube River.

According to him, Serbia and Croatia will try to resolve the border issue bilaterally, "although they currently hold different positions on that problem," and if they fail, "(international) arbitration could decide, too."

Dacic also met with Croatia's President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and discussed "opportunities for joint participation in projects, including flood prevention. "

Grabar-Kitarovic underlined t"he importance of the issues relating to the position of minorities in both countries and reiterated the willingness to pull her weight on the position of the Serb minority in Croatia," a statement from the Serbian MFA said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Dacic met with Croatia's Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, Parliament Speaker Josip Leka and addressed" ways to tackle open issues between the two countries, and the current situation in the region of South-East Europe."

169 Serbs

Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday that "no one from the international community, except Croatia, challenged the regional jurisdiction law based on which those who had committed war crimes in the territory of the former Yugoslavia are tried in Serbia."

Dacic underlined that the law got the highest possible appraisal from those dealing with the issue of war crimes, and said that the law made it possible to punish 170 war crimes convicts, 169 of them being Serbs.

“Of course, the law will be changed, if it is established that it is not in line with the EU standards,” Dacic said at a joint press conference after the meeting with Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic.

Regarding a former member of the Croatian army, Veljko Maric, who was sentenced in Serbia to 12 years in prison for the war crimes against Serb civilians, the infirm and prisoners of war in the area of Grubisno Polje in September and October 1991, Dacic said that there is " willingness to solve the case as soon as possible for humanitarian reasons."

Pusic said that the regional jurisdiction law was passed when there was no cooperation between the two countries, and Serbia was far from being a candidate country for EU membership, and that is the reason why there was no objection to it previously.