ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on Friday withdrew Croatian Ambassador to Slovenia, Ivica Mastruko, on consultations. The reason for such a move of Picula is Mastruko's letter in which he criticised
changes in the staff in his embassy in Ljubljana, claiming that the Ministry was conducting replacements on a massive scale and in an arrogant and unprofessional manner. Diplomat Mastruko forwarded the letter to Foreign Ministry, which the daily Slobodna Dalmacija published on Friday. He used sarcastic tones to attack personnel changes that Foreign Ministry was carrying out in the Croatian embassy in the Slovene capital, and complained that the ministry dismissed professionals without a previous consultation with Ambassador Mastruko. "We regard the manner of Croatian Ambassador Ivica Mastruko's communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as inappropriate. We absolute
ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on
Friday withdrew Croatian Ambassador to Slovenia, Ivica Mastruko,
on consultations.
The reason for such a move of Picula is Mastruko's letter in which he
criticised changes in the staff in his embassy in Ljubljana,
claiming that the Ministry was conducting replacements on a massive
scale and in an arrogant and unprofessional manner.
Diplomat Mastruko forwarded the letter to Foreign Ministry, which
the daily Slobodna Dalmacija published on Friday.
He used sarcastic tones to attack personnel changes that Foreign
Ministry was carrying out in the Croatian embassy in the Slovene
capital, and complained that the ministry dismissed professionals
without a previous consultation with Ambassador Mastruko.
"We regard the manner of Croatian Ambassador Ivica Mastruko's
communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as
inappropriate. We absolutely reject quotations from the letter
forwarded to the Ministry and published by the press," read a
statement released by the Ministry.
Mastruko was called to come to Zagreb for consultations today, it
added.
The statement said Minister Picula and his aides had several times
explained to the public about "the urgent need to adjust the
diplomatic-consular net to the current Croatian economic
reality."
In his letter Mastruko announced that the ministry was going to
replace eight servants from this Embassy in the second half of 2000.
The changes included the personnel from the building maintenance
man to a consular clerk.
"Negativity, extravagance, too big services, arrogance and a lack
of professionalism in a part of Croatian diplomacy must be
thwarted. But this must not be done by arrogance and inexpertness,
Mastruko wrote in his letter and complained why the ministry failed
to contact him before planning changes in the Embassy in
Ljubljana.
(hina) jn ms