VINKOVACKA TELEVISION REFUTES ITS CONNECTION TO PAVIC AND CO.

ZAGREB, Dec 4 (Hina) - Vinkovacka Television (VTV) on Monday refused claims to having any connection to Ninoslav Pavic, Ivic Pasalic, Miroslav Kutle and Vinko Grubisic, and their alleged contract on taking over Croatian media space. In its first issue, Republika today published a copy of a confidential partnership agreement, alleging that Ninoslav Pavic, Vinko Grubisic, Ivic Pasalic, and Miroslav Kutle control the media via ownership in high circulation press publisher Europa Press Holding, weekly Imperijal, television stations OTV and Nova TV, radio stations Narodni radio and Obiteljski radio, and a dozen other among the biggest local television and radio stations, including Vinkovacka Television. The ministries of justice and the interior confirmed on Monday an investigation was underway into the so-called partnership agreement. VTV director Drago Veselcic said in a statement the television in its seven years of existence had had no connection whatsoever with Pavic, Pasalic, Kutle or Grubisic, which can be checked in the ownership structure of the television. "As evidence of this is the fact that Vinkovacka Television is one of rare local television stations not within the CNN television network which is controlled by Zagreb's OTV," the statement said. Veselcic announced a law suit against the publisher of Republika if within the next several days the article shows to have caused "negative marketing results" for the VTV. (hina) lml