MESIC RESPONDS TO RESIGNATION OF MIROSLAV TUDJMAN

ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - Croatia's President-elect Stipe Mesic on Friday evening responded to the resignation of Miroslav Tudjman, the deputy head of the Office for National Security (UNS) and head of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), to the said offices. According to Miroslav Tudjman's statement issued on Friday, he decided to offer his resignation today in the wake of a statement Mesic gave to French daily Le Monde and which was published yesterday. Responding to Tudjman's act, Mesic asserted that "reasons for the resignation of Miroslav Tudjman are of a quite different nature." All what has happened and what is happening in the intelligence community (bugging, the Dubrovacka Bank scandal and so on) require more serious and more responsible attitude towards the job which Miroslav Tudjman has to date done, read a statement released by Mesic's election headquarters. Mesic said "he can understand the emotional reaction (of M. Tudjman)" and reiterated that jokes were told in an informal atmosphere after the interview. The purpose of jokes is not to insult but to relax, Mesic said adding that a joke is a joke whereas serious and responsible attitude towards the job is quite another thing. Miroslav Tudjman on Friday tendered his resignation to National Parliament president Zlatko Tomcic, who is also the acting head of state . "With the shameful statement, in which he equates Croatia's first president Franjo Tudjman and Slobodan Milosevic, Stipe Mesic has rejected all political, moral, and professional standards of good and/or acceptable behaviour, " Miroslav Tudjman wrote in his letter, adding that not to react to Mesic's jokes about Croatia's first president would mean giving into historical oblivion and utter moral bankruptcy. (hina) ms