DEFENCE & INTERIOR MINISTERS ON STRUCTURE OF INTELLIGENCE SERVICES

ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - Croatia's ministers of defence and the interior on Tuesday asserted security and intelligence services work in keeping with the laws passed by the parliament. Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac and Interior Minister Ivan Penic spoke to the House of Representatives about the organisation of the Security-Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order (SZUP). Penic said the interior minister never takes specific security measures by himself, but at SZUP's proposal, and subsequently reports to the President of the Republic. He assessed the articles which appeared in "Nacional" weekly, claiming the SZUP had taken part in rigging a recent soccer championship, were an insult to the President of the Republic and the SZUP. The Interior Ministry was interested in the championship only in the function of keeping public peace and order in and around stadiums, he said. Penic asserted the soccer judge was not tailed for a longer period of time to be blackmailed on account of somebody's supporting a certain soccer team, and added the completion of the investigation accidentally coincided with the end of the championship. Speaking about flats' searches, Penic said they were performed legally, at the request of the judiciary. This has also been confirmed by Miroslav Separovic, former manager of the Croatian Intelligence Service, currently under investigation for disclosing confidential documents, he added. Defence Minister Miljavac said the past eight months have been spent building a new security system in the Defence Ministry, in keeping with legislation. (hina) ha jn