last month with the tribunal‘s chief prosecutor Louise Arbour had done little to improve troubled relations, also said he did not believe the U.N.‘s top body would impose economic sanctions on Croatia. „We are surprised and disappointed by the tribunal‘s move… I do not think the claim that Croatia is not cooperating is justified and we shall prove that to the Security Council,“ Separovic was quoted as saying in Vecernji List daily on Thursday. The government called a meeting on Thursday to discuss the report and its press office said a statement would be issued. The tribunal‘s president Gabrielle Kirk McDonald filed the complaint on Wednesday, after Arbour reported Croatia was withholding documents related to the investigation of two military operations against Serbs in 1995 and refused to hand over a key suspect. The decision to report it to the Security Council puts the Zagreb government on a par in legal terms with the regime of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who stubbornly refused to hand over suspects and help with investigations. „This is a big failure of Croatian policy and it remains to be seen what can be done to avert the threat of sanctions,“ said Drazen Budisa, leader of the opposition Social Liberals. Vlado Gotovac of the Liberal Party said Croatia‘s failure to cooperate was a deliberate tactic to revive feelings of national unity ahead of elections, due to be held in January. But Separovic said Croatia had hoped to discuss all outstanding issues with the tribunal officials soon. „This report comes as a shock all the more because of that… It proves the tribunal is being used as a political tool.“ Croatia has so far extradited over a dozen Bosnian Croat suspects — more than any other country in the Balkans. But its willingness to cooperate diminished after it became clear the tribunal prosecutors would not halt investigations that may hurt Croatia‘s national pride and senior state and army officials. The prosecutors want Croatia to surrender documents relating to 1995 operations „Storm“ and „Thunderbolt“, brief attacks that recaptured Serb-held territory in central and southern Croatia. The operations later gave rise to allegations of summary executions and random shelling of civilians. Croatia has also refused to hand over Mladen „Tuta“ Naletilic, a paramilitary leader charged with leading a brutal ethnic cleansing drive against Moslems in southwestern Bosnia. Separovic said Naletilic, who is said to have a serious heart condition, would be handed over when conditions were ripe – „when we have a necessary court decision for his extradition and his health improves“. Legal experts and analysts believe the reason for Zagreb‘s reluctance to cooperate with investigations is a fear that they could lead to indictments against more senior figures, including President Franjo Tudjman.