TWO-DAY NATO SEMINAR ON CONTROL OVER ARMED FORCES ENDS

ZAGREB, June 27 (Hina) - NATO member-countries will understand that Croatia cannot immediately modernise its armed forces, but they will now have understanding in case Croatia fails to establish very soon a democratic control over the army, said Croatian Deputy Defence Minister Zlatko Gareljic on Tuesday in his closing speech at a two-day seminar on the democratic control over armed forces. Our partners will have understanding if we cannot at once buy up-to- date equipment and modernise the armed forces, but they will not show understanding for a lack of democratic control over the army and insufficient transparency in spending budgetary means, Gareljic said closing the seminar, organised by NATO within the Partnership for Peace programme (PfP). Since Croatia's admission into the PfP in May, this has been the first activity of NATO in Croatia. The seminar was financial backed by the Dutch government. It will be up to Croatian citizens to choose a model of democratic control over the army, but it is good to learn from experiences of other countries, said George Katsirdakis, the head of the NATO department for defence partnership and co-operation. Katsirdakis added that for Croatia it was now important to set up its mission to NATO in Brussels as soon as possible. He estimated that Croatia's entry to the PfP helped boost the country's security. There are no formal security guaranties for PfP member-countries, but Croatia would not be abandoned in case it faced security threats from abroad, Katsirdakis said. Croatia is not only a partner, it is an important partner, this NATO official stressed. (hina) mm ms