ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina) - Croatia's Territorial Defence (TO) former commander Zdravko Novoselic on Monday said the May 14, 1990 order of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) chief-of-staff Blagoje Adzic to transfer TO weaponry and
keep it in JNA storehouses was a specific military coup against Croatia's TO. At the time of the former Yugoslav federation, the TO was the civil section of the armed force, the JNA being the military one. Every federation member had its own TO, whose weaponry was kept in special storehouses. TO's task was to arm citizens in case of war according to extant war deployment. The TO was under the command of the federal presidency. Novoselic and Ivo Latin, presidency chairman of Socialist Republic of Croatia (SRH) at that time, on Monday testified before a parliament commission of inquiry, whose task is to establish the circumstances under which the JNA withdrew Croatia'
ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina) - Croatia's Territorial Defence (TO) former
commander Zdravko Novoselic on Monday said the May 14, 1990 order of
the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) chief-of-staff Blagoje
Adzic to transfer TO weaponry and keep it in JNA storehouses was a
specific military coup against Croatia's TO.
At the time of the former Yugoslav federation, the TO was the civil
section of the armed force, the JNA being the military one. Every
federation member had its own TO, whose weaponry was kept in special
storehouses. TO's task was to arm citizens in case of war according
to extant war deployment. The TO was under the command of the
federal presidency.
Novoselic and Ivo Latin, presidency chairman of Socialist Republic
of Croatia (SRH) at that time, on Monday testified before a
parliament commission of inquiry, whose task is to establish the
circumstances under which the JNA withdrew Croatia's TO weaponry,
and the responsibility of SRH state and political bodies in the
matter.
The investigation covers the period until May 30, 1990, when a
multiparty parliament was constituted.
Novoselic and Latin said nobody in Croatia could have influence on
the withdrawal decision.
Novoselic said General Adzic's order on the transfer of TO weaponry
was marked as top secret. "I acted according to the law, even though
I believe that was a kind of military coup against Croatia's TO," he
told the parliament commission. Adzic's order was verified by the
Yugoslav federal presidency on May 29, 1990, he added.
Adzic's decision had been explained with possibilities of weaponry
thefts, even though none occurred, Novoselic said. His associates
retained the weaponry tacitly and in other ways, by storing it in
Zagreb factory "Mega", or the parliament's general administrative
services, he added.
The two witnesses said the National Defence and Social Self-Defence
Committee was at that time chaired by Ivica Racan, then president of
the Communist Alliance of Croatia and currently president of the
Social Democratic Party.
Latin and Novoselic however said they believe the TO weaponry would
have been withdrawn regardless of who was at the head of the said
committee.
(hina) ha jn