"Croatia bans entry of Serbian vehicles, not citizens"

"Croatia bans entry of Serbian vehicles, not citizens"

Horgos is a border crossing between Serbia and Hungary that Hungary closed for the passage of refugees.

Ostojic said that the Bajakovo (Batrovci) border crossing between Croatia and Serbia will remains closed for vehicles with Serbian registration plates "until refugees start going via Horgos as well."

Croatia's Interior Ministry said on Thursday morning said that Serbian number plates vehicles are not being let through at Bajakovo, other than cargo vehicles transporting perishable goods, while Serbian citizens are free to enter Croatia.

Serbian passport holders and Serbian vehicles were both not allowed to enter during the night "because of problems with the information system," the Croatian ministry said.

Later during the morning, the Croatian government posted on its Twitter account that the ban concerns only border crossings between Croatia and Serbia, and that Serbian vehicles can enter from other countries, including Hungary and the Serb Republic in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Earlier in the day it was reported that in response to Serbia's countermeasures, Croatia banned the entry of all holders of Serbian passports to its territory.

Starting from midnight, Serbia banned entry of goods produced in Croatia in response to Croatia's decision last weekend to close its border for cargo traffic coming from Serbia.

Tanjug's reporter at the Batrovci-Bajakovo border crossing early this morning said that some vehicles and buses were turned back to Serbia after midnight, including a bus traveling from Belgrade to Banja Luka, in the Serb Republic, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which had Belgrade number plates.

Passenger Draginja Zivanovic from Smederevo told the agency Croatian authorities said "Serb vehicles and Serb passports cannot cross into Croatia via any of the (border) crossings."

Radovan Galic, who was on his way to attend a funeral in Croatia, was also told by Croatian border officers that "everyone with Serbian passports and everything that is Serb cannot enter Croatia by any means of transport."

Bosko Bjelosev, an Australian citizen who was traveling to Banja Luka on the same bus has also been prevented from crossing the border. "I should call the Australian embassy and see what I'm doing here in the middle of the road. Should I walk to Banja Luka?," he asked.

Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said that the ban "for all passenger vehicles and buses with Serbian number plates" was Croatia's "response to Serbia" reported TV Nova.

However, his ministry said that the reason Serbian citizens and vehicles are not being let through the border was "a problem with the computer system."