PM RACAN TALKS TO PRESS ABOUT FRIDAY MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MESIC

ZAGREB, April 21 (Hina) - A meeting with President Stipe Mesic and his associates on Friday was intended "to take stock of open issues in connection with the regulation of Croatia's defence and the organisation of the Croatian Armed Forces," Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Saturday. It was one in a series of consultations preceding the moving of a defence bill, first in the government and then in parliament, Racan told reporters in Zagreb. He described the meeting as "temperamental but in a good sense," saying he personally favoured such debates. The defence bill, among other things, stipulates the powers of the president of the republic, which according to the prime minister, demanded consultations with Mesic. Racan said the talks focused on delicate issues, for instance at what pace and how to make an armed force with less than 45,000 soldiers wholly professional. Croatia already has a professional army but the level of its training and equipment is another issue, he said. "Everybody should realise that Croatia cannot have both professionals and conscripts," he said. The meeting mulled ways of reorganising based on the current composition, by abolishing conscription and ensuring an adequate number of reservists. Racan is confident the matter will be resolved shortly and with consensus. Asked if the minister of defence should be in the line of command, Racan said that if he were not it should be established under which conditions a solution to that effect could be feasible. "It is both logical and normal that delicate issues such as the defence of the country cannot and must not be resolved rashly," the prime minister asserted. Yesterday's talks with Mesic, which had been arranged a long time before, did not tackle a national security strategy and secret services. Racan said these issues would be addressed at the next meeting. (hina) ha