ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - The Council for the Supervision of Security Services on Tuesday held its constituent session, two weeks after the parliament appointed its seven members. Members of the Council today agreed on a plan of work
covering the period until the constitution of the new parliament.
ZAGREB, Oct 28 (Hina) - The Council for the Supervision of Security
Services on Tuesday held its constituent session, two weeks after
the parliament appointed its seven members. Members of the Council
today agreed on a plan of work covering the period until the
constitution of the new parliament. #L#
After the closed-door session, Council president Vlatko Cvrtila
told reporters that in the next 30 days members of the Council would
become acquainted with the functioning of the security system.
This will include a meeting with officials of the government's
Office for National Security, to address the implementation of the
Law on Security Services, which Cvrtila believes is too slow.
Members of the Council will then visit the three security services -
the Counter-Intelligence Service (POA), the Intelligence Service
(OA), and the Military Intelligence Service (VOA), to discuss data
on the agencies' activities and reform processes, which they need
to assess the lawfulness of their work.
Cvrtila said the Council would be open to the public, as a body
mediating between citizens and the state administration.
The chairman of the parliament's Committee on National Security,
Ante Markov, said he was satisfied with the constitution of the
Council, which he said would ensure control over intelligence
services in the period until the constitution of the new
parliament.
According to the Law on Security Services, the president and
members of the Council have a term of four years and can be re-
elected after the termination of their term.
The Council answers to the parliament, and the lawfulness of its
work is controlled by the parliament's Committee on National
Security.
The Council has within its jurisdiction control of the lawfulness
of the work of security services, control over implementation of
measures aimed at collecting intelligence data, the proposing of
solutions advancing legislation relative to the work of secret
services, etc.
Members of the Council are bound to keep secret all information they
learn while performing their duties as Council members, and this
obligation remains in force upon termination of their office.
(hina) rml