PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SLAVEN LETICA HOLDS TALKS WITH DEFENCE

ZAGREB, Jan 12 (Hina) - Independent presidential candidate Slaven Letica on Wednesday held talks, at his request, with Croatian Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac. After the meeting Letica told reporters the talks had focused on Croatia's possibilities of a speedier accession into the Partnership for Peace Programme and NATO, as well as on the depolitisation and profesionalisation of the Croatian armed forces. Letica said the adjustment of Croatian armed forces to NATO's and Partnership for peace criteria could be accomplished by the end of the year at the latest. Problems had so far been of a political nature and the new, victorious coalition will have a chance to fulfil the political preconditions of achieving this goal, Letica said. We also discussed a decrease of the military budget, and issues are complex in this sense. Some 38,600 professional soldiers, officers and non-commissioned officers did not receive raises in the past five years, and the possibility of budgetary decrease is only possible with a decrease of personnel, Letica said. A decrease of the military budget, according to Defence Ministry assessments, cannot happen over night, and every decrease is a risky process when it comes to the geo-political position of the country, Letica said. One of the subjects of discussion, Letica said, was also the possibility of decreasing mandatory military service to six months, and the serving of a civilian military service, as well as the financing of the Croatian Defence Council in Bosnia- Herzegovina from the government budget. As continuation of his presidential electoral campaign, Letica announced meetings with students and pensioners, with whom he said he would discuss their problems, without holding "superfluous political speeches". (hina) lml