SEPAROVIC DISCLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR WIRETAPPING OF REPORTERS

ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - Miroslav Separovic, a former head of the Croatian intelligence service HIS, dismissed on Tuesday a claim by Ivic Pasalic that he conducted an operation in which Croatian reporters were wiretapped. Speaking in a Croatian Television programme this last Sunday, Pasalic, a former advisor on internal affairs to the late Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, publicly admitted for the first time that journalists had been tapped during the rule of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). Pasalic said the operation had been conducted by Separovic who signed all orders and was therefore responsible for possible illegal activities. These are blatant lies, typical of Pasalic, Separovic says in a statement issued today and adds that he did not sign any decision on the wiretapping of journalists. Such decisions were made by the then interior minister, who informed the President of them, he says. Separovic further claims that he did not order the operation in which journalists were wiretapped but that such operation had been started before his appointment as the head of the HIS. The operation was run by the then head of the Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order, Ivan Brzovic, he says. Abusing the powers of President Tudjman, who was already ill at the time, Ivic Pasalic decided which reporters, politicians, whether ruling or opposition, and independent intellectuals would be wiretapped, Separovic says. He also believes Pasalic did this exclusively because he wanted to discredit his political opponents and not to protect his country's security or prevent the disclosure of a state, military or official secret. Pasalic abused these powers exclusively to protect his own political and other interests, says Separovic, adding documents proving Pasalic's role in the wiretapping and other scandals, including audio and video recordings, exist. Aware of his own objective political responsibility and dissatisfied with the situation in and abuse of intelligence services, Separovic says he decided to leave the HIS eight months after his appointment, in January 1999. Before the resignation, he warned, on several occasions, about the illegal activities he had become aware of. Separovic also reminds that he was exposed to unsuccessful police prosecution after his resignation, which he claims Pasalic organised with the help of his police yes-men. (hina) rml