ZAGREB, Nov 17 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Friday afternoon paid a visit to three soldiers gravely injured in yesterday's explosion at the barracks in the central town of Ogulin. Commending the doctors' team at Dubrava
hospital on quality care given the soldiers, the prime minister told reporters he was optimistic the three would recover, especially Danijel Vincek, who sustained the severest injuries. Vincek has been taken off the respirator in the morning and can communicate. Racan said the medical staff had done their maximum to alleviate the consequences of yesterday's tragedy, pointing out it was particularly important that nothing about the accident had been covered up. He commended the medical team in Ogulin, without whose intervention the three lives might have been lost. Asked about the resignation extended by the defence minister in the wake of the incident, Racan said he would ex
ZAGREB, Nov 17 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Friday
afternoon paid a visit to three soldiers gravely injured in
yesterday's explosion at the barracks in the central town of
Ogulin.
Commending the doctors' team at Dubrava hospital on quality care
given the soldiers, the prime minister told reporters he was
optimistic the three would recover, especially Danijel Vincek, who
sustained the severest injuries. Vincek has been taken off the
respirator in the morning and can communicate.
Racan said the medical staff had done their maximum to alleviate the
consequences of yesterday's tragedy, pointing out it was
particularly important that nothing about the accident had been
covered up. He commended the medical team in Ogulin, without whose
intervention the three lives might have been lost.
Asked about the resignation extended by the defence minister in the
wake of the incident, Racan said he would express his final position
when the investigation was over, after it was established who was
directly responsible for the accident and made sure that something
of the sort will not happen again.
The government insists on having the investigation completed as
soon and as good as possible, Racan said.
Asked about the possible accountability of military chief of staff
General Petar Stipetic, the prime minister said Stipetic was a
professional soldier whose duty was available to the supreme
commander at all times and that, therefore, he did not have the
right to resign.
Speaking about the situation in the armed forces (HV), Racan said
accidents unfortunately happened everywhere, even in armies far
more professional and older, and that sometimes they could not be
averted.
He stressed the latest accident should not have happened. "Our duty
is to raise HV's professional quality in order to prevent a new
tragedy." HV has to perform better and more efficaciously also
because of the impending full-right membership in NATO, he added.
Racan believes it should not be assumed the Ogulin accident will
have an adverse effect on draftees. It is necessary to establish new
criteria of accountability in the state, he said.
"What we have to insist on in democratic Croatia is to make fast
moves in suspending people at HV before the investigation is over
and making duties available."
Chief of surgery at Dubrava hospital Pero Martinac said two of the
gravely injured soldiers, Dragan Banovic and Danijel Vincek, might
be released within seven or eight days unless there were
complications. The third soldier, Stipe Tunjic, will be
transferred to the chest surgery department at Jordanovac
hospital. He is also expected to recover within a week.
The Ogulin accident occurred at 09.18 hours on Thursday, during
regular weapon-cleaning which took place in a room with explosive
devices. Four soldiers sustained grave injuries and another
seventeen light ones.
(hina) ha