Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

As Bandic explained, Jews had to pack their entire lives into a single suitcase, which was then taken from them. The memorial, he said, was an attempt to keep the memory of their stolen humanity alive.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Wednesday said the government was considering an appeal from the famous Zagreb-based football club Dinamo - which had sought his help in dealing with what it called huge pressures from various criminal elements who were planning a "violent takeover".

It wasn't that long ago that May 9 was an uncomplicated date in the political calendar in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. State leaders processed to the main World War II memorial, made speeches about the heroic struggle against Nazism and Fascism and laid wreaths.

Croatia's president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic visited the sites of massacres of thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers of the defeated pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia (NDH) on Wednesday, laying flowers and lighting candles at Macelj, Bleiburg and Huda Jama.

Germany and France may use it to initiate a new round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, aiming to resolve their tense relations through a "new deal" that could include "dual sovereignty" and/or "greater autonomy" over some disputed territories, EU officials have said.

The Adriatic city of Dubrovnik, Croatia's best-known tourist destination, on Thursday and Friday will host the 16 + 1 summit, a Chinese initiative to strengthen business ties between China and 16 countries from Central and Eastern Europe.

The location of the weapons cache, according to those involved, would be revealed by the same person who planted it.

This would then justify the previous statements of top Croatian officials such as President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic that Bosnia is a "hotbed of terrorism" and home to at least "10,000 radicalized persons".

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic's sudden changes of heart about a World War II salute used by the Ustasa movement reflect her desperate wish to please the international community, which has been criticising Croatia over historical revisionism, and a right-wing constituency that has supported her through four years of her presidency, experts say.

The protest note concerns an attack on several water polo players from Serbia's Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) club, that happened over the weekend in Split, Croatia.

"The Foreign Ministry has expressed deep concern and disappointment over the attack on the Crvena Zvezda water polo players," a press release said.

Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos (l) and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic (r) listen to national anthems during his two day official visit to Zagreb, Croatia, Tuesday. [EPA]