"The prime minister and I are sorting this case out, because we two are the ones signing (the decision on the dismissal) and not some council. I have arguments, the prime minister has arguments, he may agree or disagree, after which we solve the problem ourselves," Mesic told Croatian Radio on Sunday.
Sanader sent a letter to Mesic yesterday, calling on him to settle issues concerning the dismissal of POA chief Josko Podbevsek at a session of the National Security Council by December 1 at the latest.
The president expects to settle the case alone with the prime minister, whose signature is required so that Podbevsek may be relieved of duty. Mesic also thinks the National Security Council should not address this issue to any particular extent.
"The prime minister must say if the POA is entitled to disturb citizens, question them for five and a half hours in a wired room, all without evidence," said Mesic. "If he says the service can do that, then the problem is no longer only with the service, the problem is also with the prime minister."
Asked if Podbevsek should have tendered his resignation after losing the support of one of the two signatories to the dismissal decision, Mesic said, "It would be quite logical if he resigned because he no longer has 50 percent of the support. It would be the most understandable and least painful thing to do".
Mesic said he had information to the effect that the POA had interviewed citizens, not journalists, who had been coming to his office. "(POA) always used the same pattern. They would invite someone for coffee, but the practice was discontinued after the latest case with reporter Helena Puljiz."
Podbevsek's dismissal was initiated by the case of Puljiz, who was interrogated by the POA for five and a half hours. Mesic said on Friday there was no record of the interview, and that it was not only a question of the law, but of the functioning of the POA as well. He added that if such an agency interrogated a citizen there must be a record of it.