He was speaking in the eastern town of Vukovar on the occasion of Statehood Day, observed today, and the graduation of officers from Croatian military schools. In attendance at the barracks of the 204th Vukovar Brigade were top state and military officials, including Chief of Staff General Josip Lucic, members of parliament and local officials.
Addressing the promoted officers, Supreme Commander Mesic said that "while they were fighting on the front, others were unlawfully making money through privatisation and other dishonorable acts, cancelling jobs and leaving many families without an income".
"After the war, the state decided to help Homeland War victims through coupon privatisation. Instead of helping them, it let those who had nothing to do with the war get hold of their coupons and shares through various forms of financial wrongdoing," Mesic said, adding that war victims and veterans were thus deceived.
"Today we see that various forms of financial wrongdoing continue, that large sums are taken in order to facilitate the purchase of state property or for other transactions involving that property. We must not allow in public politics the occurrence of things that are irreconcilable with the responsible and transparent activity of state structures," the president said, adding that "every lack of reaction on our part to suspicions of dishonorable deals encourages those who have plundered us several times already".
He also said that one must not let citizens see operations taken in the fight against corruption and plunder as some seasonal job which depended on someone's political will.
Speaking of Statehood Day, Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks said, among other things, that if Croatia had been a NATO member in 1991, Vukovar would not have been destroyed and the massacre at Ovcara farm would not have occurred. He added that Croatia should join the alliance so as not to undergo the suffering it experienced in 1991.
Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said Croatia expected to be invited to join NATO next year at the summit in Bucharest. He added the government would do everything to meet the required standards and support the strategy of development of the defence and armed forces in accordance with the alliance's standards.