Presenting a report on defence readiness, personnel policy and the overall state of the armed forces, Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic said that the armed forces were being equipped "at a pace that does not ensure their adequate and timely modernisation".
Roncevic said that the equipment of the armed forces was inadequate, outdated and in most cases incompatible with NATO standards and interoperability requirements.
The report highlights that about 80 per cent of the ground forces' assets and only 30 per cent of Air Force planes and helicopters are in proper working condition.
It says that in order to overcome the present situation it is necessary to repair the remaining Mi-8, MTV-1 and Mi-24 helicopters, purchase a few more helicopters for fire-fighting purposes, reduce the number of combat aircraft in operational use, modernise Pilatus PC-90 aircraft, and ensure funds for the regular repair and annual inspection of Canadair fire-fighting planes.
The Navy, owing to its outdated equipment, can only provide transport services, lay mines and run patrols. Its ships are not in full use because they are inadequately equipped and armed.
The report also draws attention to the problems of command and control in the process of reform of the armed forces, slow resolution of the status issues of active-service personnel and frequent absence from units. It says that about 1,000 active personnel are on sick leave on a daily basis.
The report concludes by saying that "the present situation in the area of defence preparations poses a problem for the integrity of the security and defence system of the Republic of Croatia".
After the presentation of the report, the speaker ordered a ten-minute recess because three opposition parties -- the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Peasant Party (HSS) and the Party of Rights (HSP) -- demanded that a report on action taken by the government in response to "unacceptable statements by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini" be added to the agenda.
After the break, the parliamentary majority rejected the proposal, saying that the government and the Foreign Ministry had already declared their position on Fini's statements.