"Lobbying is normal in the business world abroad. Everyone who lobbies on behalf of their company (for possible remuneration) pays tax. If someone were to lobby outside the system, that would be dangerous for us. I believe the line will not be crossed and that everyone will do their job," Mesic said, suggesting the media should not create scandals but research and check the information they published.
The president claimed that intelligence services had not taken part in lobbying for any side, and said he had been informed about the whole case by the government.
He said that if Croatia wanted to become part of Europe's market economy it must privatise the state's shares in major companies and that the sale must be "to our benefit", for production and export.
The president was responding to questions from the press at the barracks Croatia, where he came to see off the eighth Croatian contingent in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.