LUCIN: THERE WAS NOTHING SPECTACULAR ABOUT GOSPIC ARRESTS

ZAGREB, Sept 27 (Hina) - I don't know anything about the Gospic arrests being spectacular and newspaper headlines about helicopters flying over Gospic and special police units patrolling the town are not true, Croatian Interior Minister Sime Lucin said on Wednesday. Answering a question during today's question time in the House of Representatives, Lucin said only one person was arrested in Gospic and another one in Zagreb, while eight persons consented to police questioning. "I don't know who informed the press about the arrests and what was spectacular about them, but somebody obviously wanted to manipulate the public with stories about spectacular arrests," Lucin said. Asked whether it was true that arms for the IRA had been smuggled from Croatia, Lucin said it was true that the Croatian Interior Ministry had on two occasions broken the smuggling chain but he did not want to speculate about the buyer until investigations were over. Today's question time at the beginning of the first autumn session of the lower house will last four hours because deputies start working in line with the new Rule Book. (hina) rml