Sir

I reject the accusation of racism implicit in your News story “Race claims spark fury over Croatia's school curriculum” (Nature 437, 463; 2005). Claims that I am getting teachers to “promote the view that Croats are only distantly related to other Slavic populations such as the Serbs” and that I believe “Croats are more similar to Finns than other Slavs” come from newspapers that misinterpreted my words. Such claims reflect neither my published research nor my subsequent statements and actions on this issue.

The Institute of Education and other authorities, not the minister of science and education, create details of the school curriculum in Croatia. It is up to them to determine which examples of applied science should be offered to Croatian students. Had I, as minister of science and education, either approved or disapproved of the use of data from my scientific work, I could rightly have been accused of meddling. I did not, and any accusations are therefore unjustifiable.

I am deeply disappointed that Nature invited my colleagues and collaborators to comment on statements I never made. Your assertion that “scientists inside Croatia are cautious about engaging in public criticism” and its imlication about the democratic climate in my country are neither true nor supported by any evidence.