Croatian and Serbian officials met Wednesday in an effort to resolve a case that has inflamed relations between the former wartime foes, that of a Croatian war veteran wanted by Serbia for alleged war crimes.

Tomislav Purda, who fought for the Croatian army during the 1991 Serbo-Croat war, was arrested Jan. 5 in Bosnia on a Serbian warrant issued through Interpol, where he is wanted for war crimes against the injured or sick.

Purda reportedly is accused of killing two Serbian soldiers together with two of his comrades in November 1991 in Vukovar. He is fighting against extradition to Serbia.

The arrest infuriated Croatia, raising tensions with Serbia and prompting the countries’ justice ministers, Drazen Bosnjakovic and Snezana Malovic, to meet in Zagreb.

Justice ministry said the two agreed that Serbia will deliver the copy of its file against Purda to Croatian prosecutors, an indication that it might eventually hand over the case to Croatia.

Relations between Croatia and Serbia, crucial for the stability of Balkans, have vastly improved since the 1991-95 war.

But Purda’s arrest touched many nerves in Croatia as he fought in Vukovar, the eastern city that fell to the Serbs in November 1991 after months of siege and bombardment. For Croats, it’s a symbol of Serb wartime cruelty.

January 12, 2011
Associated Press

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