ZAGREB, Oct 9 (Hina) - Parliamentary parties on Thursday supported the proposals for the appointment of seven members of the Council for the Civilian Supervision of Security Services.
ZAGREB, Oct 9 (Hina) - Parliamentary parties on Thursday supported
the proposals for the appointment of seven members of the Council
for the Civilian Supervision of Security Services. #L#
The nominees, proposed by the Sabor home affairs committee, include
political science professor Vlatko Cvrtila, who will be the council
chairman, information sciences professor Krunoslav Antolis,
electronics expert with Croatian Telekom Mile Culumovic,
mechanical engineer Zoran Grgic, expert in political science Nenad
Vukman, human rights activist Tin Gazivoda, and lawyer Miroslav
Separovic.
During the parliamentary debate this morning, only the Libra party
raised some objections to the proposals.
Libra President Jozo Rados maintains that only two of the seven
nominees meet all the criteria for the job of supervising the secret
services, saying that the others have neither professional
experience nor theoretical knowledge in the field.
"Therefore they have slim chances of understanding what is going on
in the intelligence agencies system, and can fall prey to vague
relations that reign in that sphere," Rados told the parliament.
He also opposed the nomination of lawyer Miroslav Separovic, who
was head of an intelligence service while the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) was in power.
According to Rados, there could be a conflict of interest should
Separovic try to block attempts to disclose details of the work of
secret services from the time when he had worked in them.
He believes that the appointment of members of the council should be
free of political influence and party deals.
Ante Markov, head of the home affairs committee, responded to
Rados's statement saying that there was no political trading in the
appointment of council members, and the parties only held
consultations to select the best possible members.
Ivan Jarnjak of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) dismissed
Rados's view that during the former government, secret services had
done only negative things.
Jarnjak stressed that the council should be appointed, because one
and a half years had passed since the adoption of the law to
establish that body.
Under the law, passed in March 2002, the chairmen and six members of
the council will be appointed to four-year terms of office with the
possibility of reappointment.
Their duty is to monitor whether secret services work and gather
secret information in compliance with laws.
Council members are duty bound to keep secret all data they become
acquainted with during their work in the council.
(hina) ms