ZAGREB, March 26 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados announced the investigation into alleged actions of the military intelligence service SIS against non-government organisations. If illegalities are found people will be
dismissed from their positions, disciplinary actions, and if necessary, the State Attorney's Office will be called in, Rados told a news conference in Zagreb on Friday. Former activist of the Croatian Helsinki Committee for human rights (HHO) Franjo Tot recently alleged in the "Nacional" weekly that SIS officials had tried to "draft" him to infiltrate non-government organisations for following elections Gong and Glas 99 before elections in Croatia. Tot said the SIS officials had, with his help, broken into HHO offices and computer files. Rados confirmed SIS commissioner Zarko Pesa had offered his mandate to the Croatian President. Pesa's resignation immediately followed Tot'
ZAGREB, March 26 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados
announced the investigation into alleged actions of the military
intelligence service SIS against non-government organisations.
If illegalities are found people will be dismissed from their
positions, disciplinary actions, and if necessary, the State
Attorney's Office will be called in, Rados told a news conference in
Zagreb on Friday.
Former activist of the Croatian Helsinki Committee for human rights
(HHO) Franjo Tot recently alleged in the "Nacional" weekly that SIS
officials had tried to "draft" him to infiltrate non-government
organisations for following elections Gong and Glas 99 before
elections in Croatia. Tot said the SIS officials had, with his help,
broken into HHO offices and computer files.
Rados confirmed SIS commissioner Zarko Pesa had offered his mandate
to the Croatian President.
Pesa's resignation immediately followed Tot's revelations about
SIS's action called "Chameleon" against non-government
organisations.
The investigation into these actions is being led by Mladen Ruzman,
assistant Defence Minister in charge of the SIS.
"Big, but not hasty changes," will occur in the SIS, Rados said.
Rados expressed dissatisfaction with the attention the media were
giving "inherited negativities" at the Defence Ministry, while
"positive progress in the reorganisation of the Ministry and Armed
Forces" are being ignored.
As part of the progress he cited the adoption of the budget for the
Defence Ministry and strengthening international military
cooperation.
Rados also announced more transparent relations towards the
Croatian Defence Council.
"All financial assistance and all contacts will be led through the
permanent military committee in Bosnia-Herzegovina and there will
no longer be direct channels unknown to Sarajevo," Rados said.
He stressed the issue of 101 officers on the Defence Ministry's
payroll, but who are not employed by the Ministry.
More rational spending and additional savings should be adopted
through new rule books on the use of mobile telephones and vehicles
so the number of vehicles owned by the Defence Ministry should be
decreased from 2,300 to around 200.
Rados recalled a review of invalid statuses of all members of the
Ministry would ensue. Special attention would be paid to the review
of invalid statuses of officers.
The settling and uncovering of irregularities in the work of the
Defence Ministry should, according to Rados, be helped by control
of financial inspectors which came to the Ministry as part of state
audit in 1998.
At the suggestion of the Croatian Armed Forces Main Headquarters
Chief-of-Staff Major General Petar Stipetic, Rados forwarded to
Croatian President Stipe Mesic a motion that the conscription for
soldiers of the third and fourth generations in 1999 be decreased by
one month.
Mesic was also forwarded the request for the appointments of
Defence Ministry administration heads be left to the Defence
Minister, but Mesic has reached no decision about the issue as yet,
Rados said.
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