President Milanović: Prime Minister Avoiding National Security Council Meeting Key for National Security

21. October 2020.
17:17

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a formal session of Ilok Town Council on the occasion of Ilok Municipal Day and in his statement to the media he once again called upon the Prime Minister to say how he sowed hatred and aggression in 2016.

In his reply to the press about the Prime Minister’s statement today in which he said that President Milanović is like an arsonist trying to disguise himself as a firefighter he said: “He spent a lot of time on croissants in Brussels and Paris. Arsonist-firefighter, that means that he holds me responsible for that shooting or what he said about 2016, “are serious accusations”, President Milanović stated. The talk of bickering is simply wrong. “We aren’t bickering. I am offering limited solutions that are on the table, and the Prime Minister is doing the exact opposite, like a heroic rabbit”, he said.

Prime Minister Plenković has announced the convening of the coordinating body for the Homeland Security System what President Milanović has referred to as a para-body that was created a few years ago “probably to exclude President Kitarović from it”, asserting that he has no problem with this and that he is not eager for any functions.

He noted that he can also convene generals, secret service directors to meetings, create bodies and “reach silly conclusions that aren’t binding and contribute to greater chaos in Croatia”, instead of meeting like responsible people and talk about something that Plenković refers to as “growing terrorism and radicalization, or sanitary cordons around people”.

“Members of Parliament are not cattle and are not the source of infection. Miroslav Škoro can be this or that, but he is not a terrorist. Perhaps he could have condemned the shooting more concretely, but such language must not be used”, President Milanović stated.

He recalled the Prime Minister’s remark that he could call President Milanović a 54 year-old sniffer, implying he is a cocaine addict. “I thought he actually considered me to be a sniffer, which would be regularly unwitty in his manner. However, he was thinking of something else, his inspiration came from tabloid trash on the internet, that is language of the gutter”, President MIlanović said. He explained that he has had breathing and allergy problems his entire life and that is why he frequently sniffles. “But to make a connection with this, only a lowlife can do that”, he noted.

About plans to convene a meeting of the National Security Council (VNS), the President said he had been told that the proposal for the meeting would be tabled when conditions are met. This proves that Plenković is shunning a meeting of the VNS, which is a key national security authority.

“He turned down Croatia, not me. He stuck out his tongue at Croatia, when he said that he will do this and that, which means nothing, that he will convene some bodies, that he will fight against radicalization, probably with smoke signals or brooms, and that he will form a sanitary cordon”, President Milanović said, once again condemning the statement about a sanitary cordon.

Asked whether he considered today’s answer from the Prime Minister as a message that the VNS meeting will be on the agenda when he decides, the President said it must be a joint decision. “That’s not possible, it must be a joint decision. Just like it isn’t possible for the Security and Intelligence Agency director (SOA) to be led around like a bull calf without my knowledge, invite him to meetings and invite him to be present at a press conference. That is called abuse of power”, President Milanović said alluding to Saturday’s meeting in the Seat of the Government about the publication of the videotape of the shooting in St. Mark’s Square.

“Yesterday the Prime Minister warned that he knows where it comes from, it comes from me. How did journalists find out that he met with the state attorney? From me, from my people. Do you know why? Because I should have been informed by the director of the SOA by virtue of his office, who is loyal both to the Prime Minister and to me, but the Prime Minister does not understand this”, President Milanović noted and added that no one will do anything behind his back.

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s statement regarding choosing his means of transportation and how to get to a certain destination, President Milanović said that he is driven. “This morning there was a dilemma whether to come here by helicopter or not, although the fuel consumption of this bulletproof car is 30 litres. That refers to the joke about the challenger flying HDZ people to Finland for a graduation trip. Who prevents him from travelling by helicopter since he’s Prime Minister? That’s also a joke. My message to Plenković, if you can – fly, it’s good both for overcoming the fear of flying and for the nerves”, President Milanović said.

He called Minister Ćorić a Hungarian goafer. “That Hungarian gofer will lecture me? First he runs to the Hungarians then to us. Ćorić in 2002 was assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business and his CV came to my attention through Davor Bernardić. He wanted a promotion, but I didn’t accept such newcomers. So he went to the HDZ. That’s why for Plenković I am Milanović, and for Ćorić I am “Mr. President of the Republic of Croatia, President Milanović commented on the statement by the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić who stated that “Milanović’s government did nothing for the citizens facing distraint”.