SPLIT, Sept 4 (Hina) - Defence Minister Zeljka Antunovic said on Wednesday there would be no layoffs in the Croatian Armed Forces.
SPLIT, Sept 4 (Hina) - Defence Minister Zeljka Antunovic said on
Wednesday there would be no layoffs in the Croatian Armed Forces.
#L#
"We are talking about a reorganisation of the Croatian Army in line
with NATO demands, and each of the 13,000 members of the Armed
Forces will be entirely provided for and will not be left without a
job and means for living," Antunovic said after meeting senior
Croatian Navy officials in Split.
"We have already lost a lot of time in launching the reorganisation
process, which will begin by the end of this month and whose main
objective is to step up the effectiveness of the Croatian Armed
Forces in line with the standards of NATO member-countries,"
Antunovic told reporters.
Commenting on border incidents in the northern Adriatic's Piran
Bay, the minister said they were a political and not military
problem between Croatia and Slovenia, which she added would be
settled on that level.
"It is very malevolent to even mention the word 'war' as Croatia is
not a country which wants to solve problems that way. A solution to
the Piran Bay issue can certainly be agreed on, independently of the
existence of certain problems in communication with Slovenia,"
said Antunovic.
She estimated that the "trend of community service is a passing one"
as "it is an honour to be a soldier."
"This current trend is the result of some events in the army and it
will be stopped. Strict rules will be introduced for community
service, and young people eligible for military service will
themselves opt to be conscripts," Antunovic stated.
The minister said that this morning she adopted a decision on
"tracing and punishing those who are taking documentation out of
the ministry".
(hina) ha sb