President of the Republic Supports Procurement of Fighter Aircraft
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a presentation of the book “Branko Roglić – autobiografija“ (Branko Roglić – An Autobiography). Subsequently, he replied to questions of reporters interested in why he is exempted from the commission on the procurement of fighter aircraft since as Commander in Chief he must make the final decision on the purchase.
“I do not have to make the decision. I am not competent in this matter. You know that I do not evade my obligations. The President is asked for his opinion as is my adviser who is a member of the National Security Council where that topic will be on the agenda. I feel that there is no sense in giving my opinion twice on the decision. That is a conflict of interest”, President Milanović replied, adding that the same is true of other people who are members of the commission appointed by the Government. He finds questionable that the Director of the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) and the Chief of the General Staff have been appointed to this commission: “The procedure should have been slightly different, those are individuals who have been jointly appointed, whose job description and limitations have been clearly defined by law. In some way this is not outside of their responsibilities but is not described and is not foreseen, so how can they give their opinion on a process they have already participated in. I will not react. I support this and that is precisely why I have exempted myself as well as my associates because at some point I will give my opinion”, he said.
President Milanović feels that we need fighter aircraft. “Croatia is a State and must not be an accidental State, we need them. Since the decision has already been made, the process must go on. Yes, the economic situation is worse than expected, but Croatia has not and will not go under. Therefore, we are going ahead”, he said.
“Since it’s not like going out to buy candy but very costly systems – the American fighter jets should be the first choice in principle and I say this quite frankly. There are many reasons for this – they have donated a lot of equipment to us and are still donating. I can say this publicly because I am not participating in the procurement process,” President Milanović said. The price is an important factor and what you get for this price, the President added, and once again underlined: “If we have decided to purchase 12 fighter jets, then let us get them. But we need 12 new jets or minimally used, not jets used in Syria for example,” he said.
Asked to comment his handshake with Prime Minister Plenković, President Milanović said that he does not see any problem. “He and I have already shaken hands five times in the meantime, there is no problem with that. Wash your hands frequently and keep your distance from people. If I say that it is like a cavity, it is a serious and grounded comparison. People are not stupid, people use their heads”, President Milanović stated. He added that children have to be taught to wash their hands. “Children are not at risk, children cannot be trained like soldiers and they will enter each other’s space, which is unavoidable. Let us take care of our elderly and sick people”, President Milanović said.
The President of the Republic commented on the topic of the administrative division of Croatia, and indicated that in Croatia there is no unique standard, for example for children in school, without the central State’s intervention. He added: “If by logic everybody takes care of themselves and collects taxes for themselves, which is the motive for that kind of decentralization this would force Lika, Zagora (the Dalmatian hinterland) and Slavonia to depend on some external sources.
“A reform would be reducing the number of municipalities by half, or restoring their number to the situation that existed in 1991,” the President noted, adding that it would be a far-reaching move, which would affect the distribution of the political power at the local level. “These are very serious issues and I can understand why someone said that I am the spokesman for HDZ. The things I have said should come from people who are at the head of the Government because if they do not deliberate on such matters, they certainly wonder about them. These are very important matters. I am not working for HDZ, SDP or IDS”, President Milanović indicated.
Referring to the presentation of the autobiography of Branko Roglić, which he attended, President Milanović said that this is a book for anyone who is interested in business and how to create large systems as well as wealth. He added that this is not a book about privatization, “since as a rule an autobiography about a successful privatization would not contain all these elements. A lot of it would be passed over. Here everything is spotless, everything is clear, this time without the State, without political parties, without political favouritism, without party headquarters, therefore this is about a man who practically started from scratch”, President Milanović stated.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Krešimir Naglić