Mesic visited Karlovac, 50 km south of Zagreb, as part of his campaign for the January 16 presidential run-off, where he met local business people.
Reporters asked for a comment on Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic's statement yesterday, who said that military chief of staff General Josip Lucic had misinformed Mesic, who is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, about the purchase of Iveco trucks for the army.
Mesic said Lucic had "not taken part in that in any way," and that he was informed of the purchase by the Defence Ministry.
"I am informing Roncevic through you that only in this country is the person who discovers an illegality guilty and not the one who commits it. In February 2004 I requested the establishment of a military and technical council, but that was not done out of very specific reasons it seems. That council would now have had to establish how justified the military purchase was at this time. Had that been done, such an unlawful purchase wouldn't have been made."
Mesic said he could suspend Roncevic with Parliament's consent, but added he would see what he would do.
In talks with Karlovac business people, Mesic underlined the importance of encouraging small and medium-sized enterprise. He said he would urge the Government to draw up the economic development strategy it had promised before coming to power because stronger enterprise meant more jobs.
"We opened 100,000 new jobs over the last five years, but recently unemployment is growing again. Imports are twice as big as exports. The previous Government proved enterprise could be encouraged if the state and ministries were well-organised."
Asked to comment on yesterday's TV duel with his opponent Jadranka Kosor, the minister of war veterans and family affairs, Mesic said Kosor was running for president as if she were running for the ministerial post she already had.
Mesic said he would not change his tactics in the continuation of his campaign and that he would be affirmative.