DEFENCE MINISTRY REFUTES ALLEGATIONS IN 'JUTARNJI' AND 'GLOBUS'

ZAGREB, Dec 21 (Hina) - The Defence Ministry on Thursday refuted allegations in today's Jutarnji list daily to the effect that the minister at a closed-door session of parliament's Internal Affairs and National Security Committee discussed relations between UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague and the head of state's Office. The daily alleged that Minister Jozo Rados and ruling coalition official Drazen Budisa had told the Committee the Hague tribunal was cooperating with President Stipe Mesic's Office, side-stepping the government's Council for cooperation with the tribunal. According to the statement, the minister spoke of manipulations resulting from publishing unchecked information which referred to cooperation with the tribunal. Rados did not say who could be responsible for those manipulations, but did state they led to mistrust among those in authority and endangered national security. The publication of false information from the closed-door session with the intent to cause mistrust between the defence minister and President Mesic is an example of impermissible manipulation that Rados spoke about, the statement said. The Defence Ministry today also refuted allegations in the latest issue of Globus weekly which stated the government was concealing the truth about a blast in Ogulin's barracks which injured 21 conscripts last month. According to the statement, marking investigation results as confidential is not aimed at hushing them up. They have been declared confidential as they contain an analysis of the military's command system. The ministry said the investigation was slow because it was based on witness statements and was lacking in material evidence, and pointed out the Ogulin case was not connected to personnel changes in the Security and Intelligence Service. (hina) ha