SEMINAR ON PLANNING OF NATIONAL SECURITY, DEFENCE REFORM ENDS

MAKARSKA, May 11 (Hina) - The seminar "The Planning of National Security and Defence Reform" has been very successful and it will contribute to the planning of national security and defence reform in Croatia, which is on the right path as regards the protection of national security, the maintenance of a high level of readiness and the optimal size of armed forces, Joun Gittinger, head of a delegation of the European Centre for Security Studies "George Marshall" from Garmish Partenkirchen, said in Makarska on Friday. The five-day event, organised by the Croatian Defence Ministry and the European Centre, gathered 35 representatives from Croatian ministries, parliament, the President's Office and non-government organisations. It focused on new concepts, systems and possible improvements in the system of defence and state security, said Gittinger. Lieutenant Colonel Tomo Radicevic, head of the Defence Ministry's Administration for Defence Policy, said the seminar also tackled all important issues concerning the future organisation and reforms of the state security and defence systems. Croatian representatives have shown that they understand these issues very well and that they are able to deal with the most complex questions. Discussions with experienced professors from the "George Marshall" centre have confirmed that there are no intellectual barriers as regards the devising of adequate and admissible solutions from this area in Croatia, said Radicevic. Radicevic said that all participants in the seminar agreed the meeting was very useful for their future work. (hina) rml