RADOS: RESPONSIBILITY FOR OGULIN TRAGEDY MUST GO VERY HIGH

ZAGREB, Nov 17 (Hina) - Thursday's accident in the Ogulin barracks is such a huge event that responsibility in the chain of command has to go very high, Defence Minister Jozo Rados said on Friday following talks with U.S. marines commander General James Jones. Asked if he considered military chief of staff Petar Stipetic responsible for the mortar explosion accident in which five conscripts were seriously and 16 lightly injured, Rados said the defence minister could not assess the responsibility of an officer appointed by the supreme commander, i.e. the president of state. "The investigation will show the degree of responsibility of the entire chain of command. I personally believe the event is so big the line of command has to go very, very high, but it isn't on me to decide so high. The decision will lie with the president of the republic after the investigation is over," said Rados. He believes General Stipetic should not resign, not even as a moral act. "Appointed military personnel cannot offer resignations as this would jeopardise the chain of command. It is illogical for General Stipetic or any of the lower-ranked officers to resign, but I believe their mandate is permanently at the disposal of politicians who appoint them." The investigation thus far has demonstrated that at the time of the accident, a missile for different use was in the mortar. "How that missile happened to be in the barrel hasn't been established yet, but in any case, no missiles, not even mortar missiles, should have been in that room," said Rados. The defence minister believes the frequent excesses in the armed forces (HV), including escapes, wrong inoculations, deaths during training, and sexual harassment, do not make the army unsafe for conscripts. "Said excesses do not bring HV's foundations in question, (HV) shows a very high degree of awareness and readiness, and I think conscripts may feel safe doing their military service." (hina) ha