FORMER OFFICIAL SAYS INTELLIGENCE SERVICES WERE USED FOR POLITICS

ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - The former manager of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS) has confirmed intelligence services wiretapped the opposition's politicians at the time of the former authorities, as well as ruling officials, journalists, and independent intellectuals on orders of the politicians in charge. Miroslav Separovic told Croatian Television on Tuesday evening he could testify to the fact that Drazen Budisa, incumbent Prime Minister Ivica Racan, Ivan Jakovcic, Radimir Cacic, Mladen Vedris, Vlatko Pavletic, Antun Vrdoljak, Franjo Greguric, Mate Granic, Constitutional Court president Jadranko Crnic, and many others were wiretapped in 1998-9. "The formal explanation for (the wiretapping) was the Law on Internal Affairs, which spoke of threats to national security. The real content of those measures, however, was illegal as not one case established that national security was endangered," said Separovic. He maintains the recently opened files on said officials, before they are destroyed, should be checked to establish what was legal and what illegal in the intelligence service's activity, as well as the accountability of those who were in charge. (hina) ha