ZAGREB, April 10 (Hina) - The leader of the Libra party, Jozo Rados, described as "curious and illogical" a ruling by the Croatian Constitutional Court quashing a decision he passed at the time he held the office of defence minister
banning ministry and army staff from making public statements.
ZAGREB, April 10 (Hina) - The leader of the Libra party, Jozo Rados,
described as "curious and illogical" a ruling by the Croatian
Constitutional Court quashing a decision he passed at the time he
held the office of defence minister banning ministry and army staff
from making public statements. #L#
"There is no army in the world which has not forbidden military
staff to give statements to the media," Rados told reporters on
Thursday, adding the court could have challenged the scope of his
decision, but not the decision itself.
"Fortunately, the new defence law regulates these issues better
than was the case before, so there is no danger of the Croatian Army
being politicised, which is what the decision of the Constitutional
Court could cause," Rados said.
The former defence minister said he had only renewed the decision
forbidding military personnel to make public statements as his
predecessors Pavao Miljavac and Gojko Susak had passed such
decisions as well.
"Is there anyone in Croatia who believes that it is normal for a
lieutenant colonel to hold political speeches at barricades, which
were set up to protest the replacement of a daily's editor-in-
chief?," Rados said.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrija Bartolic, at whose request the
Constitutional Court considered Rados's decision and quashed it
yesterday, spoke at rallies organised in protest of the replacement
of the editor-in-chief of the regional daily "Slobodna Dalmacija"
in his capacity as the leader of disabled war veterans from Split.
Rados then initiated disciplinary proceedings against Bartolic.
The Defence Ministry today issued a statement dismissing claims in
some media that Bartolic had been sacked due to his public
statements.
At the time he made the statements Bartolic was on sick leave, which
lasted from 1 August 2001 to 15 March 2003. After his physical
disability was established, he was honourably discharged and
granted the right to seek a disability pension allowance, the
ministry said, adding that Bartulic's public speech was not the
reason for his dismissal.
(hina) rml