ZAGREB, April 1 (Hina) - The Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) Council unanimously supported Director Mirko Galic's draft programme for 2000, which leads towards the transformation of the HTV into a public television, the HRT
Council Chairman, Ivo Skrabalo said on Saturday. On Friday, HRT Council failed to replace the Television's editor-in-chief Obrad Kosovac, after Galic's proposal for Kosovac's replacement did not receive a majority vote of the present members at the session. HRT Director's proposal was supported by seven out of 14 Council members who attended the meeting, with two votes against and five abstentions. After that Galic announced that he would return his mandate to the Croatian National Parliament. Commenting on Galic's announcement, Skrabalo said he was not sure whether Galic formulated that as if it was the announcement of his resignation. "Galic said he could
ZAGREB, April 1 (Hina) - The Croatian Radio and Television (HRT)
Council unanimously supported Director Mirko Galic's draft
programme for 2000, which leads towards the transformation of the
HTV into a public television, the HRT Council Chairman, Ivo
Skrabalo said on Saturday.
On Friday, HRT Council failed to replace the Television's editor-
in-chief Obrad Kosovac, after Galic's proposal for Kosovac's
replacement did not receive a majority vote of the present members
at the session. HRT Director's proposal was supported by seven out
of 14 Council members who attended the meeting, with two votes
against and five abstentions. After that Galic announced that he
would return his mandate to the Croatian National Parliament.
Commenting on Galic's announcement, Skrabalo said he was not sure
whether Galic formulated that as if it was the announcement of his
resignation.
"Galic said he could not implement his programme without confidence
and that he would return his mandate to the Sabor. Then we agreed,
according to Council five members' suggestion, that we should
convene another session of the HRT Council for 10 April with only
one item on the agenda - Kosovac's dismissal, " Skrabalo said adding
that there was a chance for the HRT Council to relieve Kosovac of his
duties before the next session of the Sabor, due to be on 12 April.
At the coming session the HRT will hear explanation of reasons for
Kosovac's replacement and will forward it to the HRT Director.
Journalists asked Skrabalo whether it was in fact political rather
than professional replacement.
"It is the political replacement. Obrad Kosovac is a professional,
who offered his professional abilities to serve inappropriately
one policy and thus made of the HTV such television that it has
become a contentious issue between Croatia and the international
community," Skrabalo answered.
He announced his meeting, on behalf of the Sabor, with a delegation
of the European Parliament for next week in Brussels. Skrabalo
believes that one of main topics at the talks will be what has been
done in the HRT's transformation into public media.
We got a new director who is not a political person and whose task is
to free the HTV from the influence of politics. Three months have
passed since the elections and Obrad Kosovac have had enough
chances to contribute to such efforts, Skrabalo maintained.
After relieving Kosovac of his duties, HRT Director can appoint the
acting editor-in-chief during the period of announcement of the
vacancy at this post. However, expecting a new law on the HRT, it is
possible that the vacancy will not be announced until the adoption
of the law, HRT Council Chairman added.
(hina) ms