The deadline for Serbia's reply to Croatia's arguments to Serbia's counter-lawsuit which Croatia submitted in December 2010 expires today. The content of Serbia's filing remains unknown to the public as the procedure is still at "the written stage" which stipulates confidentiality of documents submitted by both sides.

On 4 January 2010 Serbia's legal representatives filed a suit with the ICJ against Croatia for genocide of Serbs during Croatia's 1991-95 Homeland War. The lawsuit was Serbia's response to the genocide suit Croatia had filed with the ICJ in July 1999 against the then Yugoslavia.

The 320-page submission, according to Beta agency, includes 76 supporting documents on approximately 1000 pages.

Zagreb will now study the new arguments and reply, after which a hearing will be scheduled.

Unless the two countries in the meantime reach an out-of-court settlement and withdraw mutual lawsuits, the main hearing will be held in 2013.

In its latest filing, Serbia included arguments for which it believes would stand good chance in the proceedings before the ICJ. One of its strongest arguments is the non-final verdict handed down by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague against Croatian general Ante Gotovina for war crimes committed during and in the aftermath of 1995's Operation Storm. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

The State Secretary with the Serbian Ministry of Justice, Slobodan Homen, said on Thursday, a day before the expiry of the deadline for Serbia's response, that the best way to resolve the problem would be for the two governments to withdraw their suits.

"As far as the Serbian government is concerned, we have clearly stated on several occasions that the best way to deal with this problem is for the two governments to withdraw their lawsuits. That, of course, requires political will on both sides. We continue to believe that it's the best solution, and our legal team will decide on further moves," Homen said at a press conference in Belgrade.