Monday's presentation of Croatia in favor of Kosovo at the International Court of Justice is expected to cool relations between Belgrade and Zagreb, threaten Serbian officials. The Croatian officials do not hesitate to protect the independence of Kosovo and see this process as "the last settling of accounts with the past."

Serbia fears that Croatia's argument could be very significant, because Croatia was part of the Yugoslav Federation, respectively part of its breakup - when Belgrade had intended to rule over other members of the former FRY.

However, Croatia sees its appearance at ICJ in favor of independence, as the last settling of accounts with the past. And this was stated in an interview for the Serbian media by President Stipe Mesic of Croatia.

Mesic said that Croatia has no reason to hesitate before the International Court of Justice to present reasons why it has decided to recognize Kosovo. "I think it would be hypocritical to recognize and then hesitate to talk about this", said Mesic, adding that the appearance of Croatia in favor of independence of Kosovo is not directed against the Serbian people.

In the Serbian press, Belgrade officials have estimated that the appearance of Croatia at ICJ, to happen on Monday, will be "a stab in Serbia's back", just as it happened with the presentation of Bulgaria, which on Friday put a powerful defense of Kosovo independence.

Head of the Serbian delegation, Dusan Batakovic, has stated for the Serbian media in The Hague that Bulgaria, as many times throughout history, "put a knife in our back" by protecting the secession of Kosovo in the International Court of Justice.

Sonja Liht, chairman of the Council for Foreign Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, told the newspaper Blic that it would be better if Croatia did not present at all with her testimony on the legality of the independence process of Kosovo at ICJ.

Meanwhile, Ivan Vejvoda, director of the Balkan Fund for Democracy, hopes that the appearance of Croatia at ICJ will not break again relations between Zagreb and Belgrade, because according to him, they are a precondition for European integration. However, he thinks that after a short period of time, relations will once again return to normal.

Statements of Serbian officials and analysts seem like an attempt to pressure Zagreb officials to change their strong stance in favor of Kosovo independence.

In the first week of presentations at the Court, countries speaking in favor of Kosovo have made a strong showing, with one country also going neutral instead of the expected opposition to independence.

Although now it seems certain that Kosovo will neutralize or win this argument, the challenges coming from Serbia might not stop here. The European Union unofficially has allowed Serbia to mount this legal challenge as its last attempt at preventing widespread recognition of Kosovo. And although the arrogant maverick Serbian foreign minister has begged world countries to withhold recognition until the Court gives its opinion, Kosovo cannot count on the word of the country that brutalized it many times over the previous century and will have to wait and see what the butcher of the Balkans will present next.