After a news conference in the coastal city of Rijeka on Saturday, the minister was asked to comment on an article in Saturday's issue of the Novi List daily which reports that Marko Gaspar and his wife Sandra, both employees with the ministry, were exposed to mobbing on Barbir's part after Marko Gaspar refused his "amoral offer" to defame another diplomat in the consulate so as to get his job.
The minister said that Marko Gaspar was not dismissed from the ministry but that he was transferred to a job within the Foreign Ministry in Zagreb.
According to Grabar Kitarovic, the reason for his withdrawal from Los Angeles was a serious breach of responsibilities and the minister has the right to withdraw a diplomat from an embassy or consulate abroad before the expiry of their mandate. She stressed that her ministry had respected the withdrawal procedure which lasted several months and that Gaspar can lodge a complaint with relevant institutions.
The minister also said that she was "unpleasantly surprised" by the daily's article.
Although Barbir was quoted by the newspaper as saying that he did not propose that the Gaspars be withdrawn from the consulate, Grabar-Kitarovic said that the withdrawal ensued due to his proposal in writing.