The minister, like all other participants, was timely notified of the topic and contents of the broadcast, reads a press release issued by Croatian Radio and Television spokesman Janos Roemer on Tuesday.
The HRT reiterates that under the relevant law and norms of the journalistic profession, the choice of topics and guests is exclusively in the jurisdiction of editors and the editorial board of the news programme, the press release reads.
Skare Ozbolt issued a statement on Monday evening saying that she and Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic had decided not to take part in the programme because of "the unfair behaviour of the host" who invited Gotovina's lawyers contrary to his announcement.
The justice minister said that Misetic and Ivanovic "do not have the legitimacy to represent" the runaway general and that they were not recognised by the Hague tribunal as Gotovina's legal representatives.