"Vukovar is a town in which both the Croatians and the Serbs live and it should be so. It is situated at Croatia's eastern border and on the western bank of the Danube river which marks the border between Croatia and Serbia and which should connect us, too," Pupovac, a deputy of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), told reporters in the Croatian parliament.

Such statements cannot enhance the relations between the countries and beyond any doubt the responsibility stemming from the tenure of the head of state both in Serbia and Croatia requires a different vocabulary and different attitude towards towns and places that were exposed suffering and atrocities because of a policy that was defeated, Pupovac said.

Boro Grubisic of the Croatian Democratic Party of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB) described Nikolic's statement as "meaningless and nonsensical".

We in Croatia should not care much about such statements, his (Nikolic's) statement was made for the purpose of internal affairs in Serbia, the HDSSB MP said adding that "what else can be expected from the Chetnik".

Jadranka Kosor of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) slammed the statement as scandalous.

Commenting on Nikolic's statements about Vukovar being a "Serb town", Croatian Veterans Minister Predrag Matic said earlier on Friday that Nikolic spoke about dreams which would never come true. "I used to think about Claudia Schiffer, but then I realised those dreams will not come true," the minister said.

He however added that such statements were not good for either the Serbs or the Croats.

Matic said Croatia would continue to cooperate with Serbia , expressing hope Nikolic would soften his rhetoric.