DEFENCE MINISTRY: IVAN ANDABAK IS NOT ACTIVE ARMY MEMBER

ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - At the time of his arrest, Ivan Andabak was not an active army officer or a Croatian Army general, the Croatian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. "In the past few days, the Croatian media reported about the apprehension of Ivan Andabak, stating, among else, that he was a 'Croatian Army general', which is misinformation, as at the time of arrest he was not an active army officer or a Croatian Army general," the statement read. According to the Ministry, Andabak was on the payroll of the military district Ston from 15 July 1997 to 6 May 2000 and was registered as a soldier. During the process of clarification of poorly defined relations between the Croatian Defence Ministry and the Army of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, i.e. the Croat Defence Council (HVO), the system of double wages for HVO members, financed by the Croatian Defence Ministry, was cancelled and Andabak's service in the Croatian Army was discontinued in the process. HVO general Ivan Andabak did not receive any Croatian Army rank, including that of a general, the statement read. (hina) rml