Tadić condemns flag thieves

President Boris Tadic has emphatically condemned the theft of the Croatian flag from the country’s embassy in Belgrade. Tadic said that he was in contact with all the necessary institutions “in order to arrest and punish the extremists and hooligans who did this,” according to the president’s press service. Tadic condemns flag thieves The president said that extremists existed on both sides, but that both Serbia and Croatia were determined to put a stop to such incidents. These intentions were confirmed by senior officials of both countries during the Croatian prime minister’s recent visit to Belgrade, Tadic said. He said that Serbia would not tolerate incidents that undermine the integrity of neighboring countries and that the authorities were doing their job in order to track down, apprehend and punish the culprits accordingly. “It is in no one’s interest, Serbia’s or Croatia’s, to heighten nationalist tensions, which could lead to a worsening of the security situation for Serbs in Croatia,” said the president, who has addressed Croatian officials on several occasions to condem chauvinistic statements, threats and attacks on Serbs in Croatia. Ivo Sanader and Boris Tadic during the Croatian PM's recent visit to Belgrade (Beta, archive) "Police hunting culprits" The police are taking steps to track down intruders who stole the Croatian flag from the Croatian embassy in Belgrade, says Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. Dacic said that cameras at the embassy had caught two people taking the flag down and that “all measures will be taken against them.“ “As the embassy security didn’t intervene, the police will identify those people and all measures will be taken against them,“ said the minister in response to a journalist’s question during a MUP function in Belgrade. Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac also condemned the incident, stating that taking a flag down from any embassy in the capital was unacceptable behavior. Sutanovac said that the culprits probably thought that they were very brave, but that they should be aware that their actions had brought shame on themselves and the country. The Croatian embassy sent a protest to the Foreign Ministry yesterday over the incident. The embassy has voiced its dissatisfaction over the affront to Croatia’s highest national symbol and has called for an immediate reaction on the part of the authorities to protect Croatian diplomatic facilities throughout Belgrade, the Croatian Foreign Ministry announced today. The flag was stolen on Tuesday evening, the embassy confirmed.

Tadić condemns flag thieves

The president said that extremists existed on both sides, but that both Serbia and Croatia were determined to put a stop to such incidents.

These intentions were confirmed by senior officials of both countries during the Croatian prime minister’s recent visit to Belgrade, Tadić said.

He said that Serbia would not tolerate incidents that undermine the integrity of neighboring countries and that the authorities were doing their job in order to track down, apprehend and punish the culprits accordingly.

“It is in no one’s interest, Serbia’s or Croatia’s, to heighten nationalist tensions, which could lead to a worsening of the security situation for Serbs in Croatia,” said the president, who has addressed Croatian officials on several occasions to condem chauvinistic statements, threats and attacks on Serbs in Croatia.

"Police hunting culprits"

The police are taking steps to track down intruders who stole the Croatian flag from the Croatian embassy in Belgrade, says Interior Minister Ivica Dačić.

Dačić said that cameras at the embassy had caught two people taking the flag down and that “all measures will be taken against them.“

“As the embassy security didn’t intervene, the police will identify those people and all measures will be taken against them,“ said the minister in response to a journalist’s question during a MUP function in Belgrade.

Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac also condemned the incident, stating that taking a flag down from any embassy in the capital was unacceptable behavior.

Šutanovac said that the culprits probably thought that they were very brave, but that they should be aware that their actions had brought shame on themselves and the country.

The Croatian embassy sent a protest to the Foreign Ministry yesterday over the incident.

The embassy has voiced its dissatisfaction over the affront to Croatia’s highest national symbol and has called for an immediate reaction on the part of the authorities to protect Croatian diplomatic facilities throughout Belgrade, the Croatian Foreign Ministry announced today.

The flag was stolen on Tuesday evening, the embassy confirmed.