GOVERNMENT REJECTS DEFENCE MINISTER'S RESIGNATION - EXTENDED

ZAGREB, Dec 14 (Hina) - Based on reports by the Defence Ministry and Croatian Armed Forces, the government concluded on Thursday Defence Minister Jozo Rados was not responsible for a barracks incident in which 21 conscripts were injured, turning down his resignation. The government ordered further investigation into last month's tragedy in the training quarters at of the St. Peter's barracks in Ogulin, in which 16 conscripts were lightly and five seriously injured in an explosion of a live grenade. The government stressed liability could be stretched to previous periods and decisions by responsible persons. Submitting a report on the incident compiled by his ministry and the main military headquarters, Defence Minister Rados said it had not yet been established precisely what kind of device set off the blast nor how the device happened to be in the barracks. Through interrogation of soldiers who were present in the room when the explosion occurred, it was established who placed the live projectile into the shoulder-mounted rocket launcher and who took it off a shelf, but we do not know how it got there, Rados asserted. It was established that a weaponry storehouse, Ostarije 1, storing unexploded mines, had not been protected well since 1995, in 1996 only patrols protected it, while no one protected it at all since the end of last year. We have to look for responsibility in two possible directions, for what occurred at the barracks and for what was happening to Ostarije 1 in all these years, said Rados. Stressing it was not the task of commissions of enquiry to establish what other bodies should be doing, the defence minister said liability for the incident extended all the way to the brigade commanding officer. It will, however, be difficult to establish accountability for acts in the past five years regarding the Ostarije 1 warehouse, he said. The order my armed forces chief-of-staff dating from 1995 on closing down and leaving only one entrance available to the warehouse was not carried out. Neither the defence minister nor the chief-of-staff had been informed the protection of the warehouse had completely ceased. It is logical to pose the question of liability of the commanding officer of the First Military Region, Rados said. Military Police will submit to the State Prosecutor's Office two separate reports, but whether charges will be filed will be determined by the Military Police. Rados dismissed speculations of hindrances to the investigation. The latest questioning of conscripts who were injured the most was carried out yesterday, so claims reported by Croatian Television several days ago that the soldiers were prepared to speak before were inaccurate. According to Rados, the injured soldiers with more than 20 per cent established invalidity have the right to one-time financial assistance and the right to file a compensation request. It is also the government's conclusion that financial assistance be granted to the conscripts, in line with the law, and try to reach an agreement out of court on final compensation. The conscripts will be helped with social care and possible retraining of those who might have permanent consequences due to the incident. The government adopted moved measures for preventing incidents in the armed forces. The decision was not made only on the basis of the Ogulin incident, but several others. The government requested of the Defence Ministry to resolutely and urgently begin a thorough restructuring of the armed forces. (hina) lml