BATINA, May 9 (Hina) - The day of victory over fascism in World War Two, celebrated on May, was marked in eastern Croatia's Batina on Sunday with the laying of wreaths and lighting of candles in front of the Batina Battle
monument.
BATINA, May 9 (Hina) - The day of victory over fascism in World War
Two, celebrated on May, was marked in eastern Croatia's Batina on
Sunday with the laying of wreaths and lighting of candles in front of
the Batina Battle monument.#L#
The wreaths were laid by delegations of the Office of the President of
the Republic, parliament, the government, the embassies of Russia,
Ukraine and Serbia-Montenegro, and associations of anti-fascist
fighters.
Also in attendance was Croatian Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic,
who was asked by reporters to comment on announcements that Croatia
would not be invited to join NATO at the alliance's summit in Istanbul
next month.
Roncevic said the Istanbul summit had not even envisaged that
possibility and that Croatia had known this for a long time. He added,
however, that Croatia would carry out reforms with a view to creating
an effective army the national budget was able to pay.
"This means we will no longer develop elements as though we were in
the individual defence system since every country which joins NATO,
and Croatia will become a member, will make its own contribution to
the collective defence and use the military elements of other
countries in the alliance."
The minister added that did not mean abolishing the navy and air force
but downscaling them to the tasks that would be called for by the
geostrategic position and environment.
Asked if Croatia would have only a professional army in the near
future, Roncevic said it was too early to say but that in 2005 Croatia
should have 18,000 active military persons instead of the current
21,000.
Roncevic said the current military service concept was the most
expensive, and that decisions on mandatory military service would be
based on analyses and not current politics.
(Hina) ha