Zuzul resolutely dismissed accusations that he had taken bribes during the debate on his alleged involvement in the case of the Imostroj company.
Nobody from my family took bribes in this affair, nor was there any possibility of that happening. I am not in conflict of interest, either, Zuzul said.
The minister dismissed claims by the opposition that the Imostroj scandal had tainted his international reputation.
My credibility has not been damaged, and I can corroborate that with the fact that over the last week I had a series of international meetings and attended several round table discussions, he added.
Zuzul cited reports on his case compiled by the Office of the State Prosecutor and the State Auditor's Office which established that he was not connected with any irregularities.
These reports relieve me from any responsibility, he stressed.
Zuzul admitted that recently he might have given some hasty statements and apologised to everyone whom such statements may have led to wrong conclusions.
Commenting on MP Vesna Pusic's explanation of the motion for his dismissal, Zuzul said that she had presented a distorted picture created by the media which he said were manipulated to a certain extent.
Presenting the motion earlier during the discussion, the leader of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Vesna Pusic, said that the reports of the Office of the State Prosecutor and the State Auditor's Office were not relevant for the parliamentary discussion on this topic.
She insisted that the Sabor establish whether Zuzul was capable of performing his duty as Foreign Minister after his recent acts and untruthful statements.
The motion was proposed by the HNS, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS).