PARLIAMENT TO PROBE INTO ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MILITARY-INTELLIGENCE SERVICES

SERVICES ( Editorial: --> 4668 ) ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The House of Representatives' Committee for Domestic Affairs and National Security will probe into accusations by two high-ranking state officials against Croatia's military- intelligence services. The Committee has called on Franjo Greguric and Hrvoje Sarinic to attend a session scheduled for October 12. Greguric is President Franjo Tudjman's advisor on relations with the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sarinic is the President's chief-of-staff. They recently gave interviews to Croatian newspapers and accused the Croatian Intelligence Service (SIS) of overstepping its authority and abusing its powers. The Committee has also decided to call Ivic Pasalic, the President's internal affairs advisor, who was accused in the interviews of having instigated the abuse of powers by the SIS, and General Markica Rebic, the Assistant Defence Minister for intelligence-security activities. Pasalic and Greguric on Thursday said they would attend the Committee's session on October 12. "I will accept the invitation," Pasalic told reporters adding he expected the investigation would help establish the truth and place lies and petty politics where they belonged. Intelligence services should be freed from all the accusations they have been arbitrarily charged with, Pasalic said. "If I am called, I will come," Greguric said briefly. He added that he stood behind his claims and had evidence to support them. The offices of Sarinic and Rebic told reporters that the two officials were unavailable and could not be reached. Committee members, who today held a preparatory session, stressed that if need be other people would also be called to the session. The Committee was unanimous in its stand that the most important thing was to establish the truth in the said case. Committee member Drago Krpina (Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, said at today's session that Greguric's and Sarinic's statements - which in his opinion boiled down to claims that certain politicians in the HDZ leadership had misused the SIS to publicly vilify other politicians - were severe political and security accusations which deserved the Committee's greatest attention. The world has taken notice of those statements with interest, Krpina said adding the claims were related to Croatia's international position and reputation, as well as with its national security. If Sarinic's claims prove to be true, that will be a serious blow to Croatia's reputation, and Croatian citizens and all people involved in politics will have cause for concern, Krpina said. Jozo Rados (Croatian Social-Liberal Party, HSLS) warned that the law had been violated in the secret service system when Sarinic was appointed a member of the Defence and National Security Headquarters (SONS). Sarinic's appointment was in opposition to the Law on the Office for National Security (UNS), which provides that the President's chief-of-staff cannot hold a post in the SONS, Rados noted. According to him, the Committee should also call the UNS director Ivan Jarnjak to its session on October 12. Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) believes that the Committee should also call the UNS's former and current heads, Miroslav Tudjman and Miroslav Separovic respectively. The presented claims call for evidence, Djuro Perica (HDZ) said. Perica said he believed it would be good for the Committee to request an additional report on the accused security services. Krpina suggested that the Committee also discuss other statements in Greguric's and Sarinic's interviews, including those on the release from prison of a heroin smuggler. This is necessary because there is a possibility that someone might conclude in a certain context that heroin smugglers enjoy political protection, Krpina said. Today's session of the Committee for Domestic Affairs and National Security was not attended by Pasalic (HDZ). Committee President Ivan Milas said that Pasalic had contacted him saying he would not attend sessions until the matter was cleared up, since he had been mentioned in the accusations. (hina) jn rml /mbr 012025 MET oct 98