ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - NATO will make it possible for Croatia to reduce the size of its military, form professional officer personnel, standardise arms and equipment and depoliticise the army, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said
in his speech at a NATO conference in Zagreb.
ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - NATO will make it possible for Croatia to
reduce the size of its military, form professional officer
personnel, standardise arms and equipment and depoliticise the
army, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in his speech at a NATO
conference in Zagreb. #L#
If it wishes to be a normal democratic European country, Croatia
cannot accept neither a war-sized army in the time of peace, nor
senior officers with only high school education or their
involvement in politics, Mesic said.
The two-day NATO conference, called "Regional Stability and
Cooperation: NATO, Croatia and Southeast Europe", is organised by
Zagreb's institute for international relations and NATO's
information office.
Emphasising the depoliticisation of the army and civil control over
it, Croatia's head of state said the army must be permanently
excluded from the influence of any political option or a party.
He said he would as Croatia's president and chief commander,
advocate the re-organisation of the Croatian Armed Forces, full and
permanent depoliticisation and civil control over defence
structures. Mesic said he was convinced Croatia could meet all
standards for membership in NATO.
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