President Milanović: Sessions of the National Security Council and Defense Council Will Take Place Very Soon
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today commented on the Prime Minister’s call to convene the National Security Council and the Defense Council, emphasizing that some preparation time is necessary for the sessions. “He has been refusing Council sessions for four years, and now he proposes one. I agree, but we need to prepare for it. For some reason, he is very tense that it should happen immediately – why? We will prepare. He is threatening that he won’t have time. This should not be taken personally. If we are going to talk about delays, he hasn’t deigned to meet with me for six years to agree on ambassadorial appointments; he has been stifling the service for six years. Do we want to talk about deadlines? About postponing or stretching out the election of the President of the Supreme Court? Let’s not open that discussion,” said the President.
President Milanović reiterated that he agreed to the Council session after Prime Minister Plenković “said three times that he could not.” “The proposal he sent is more or less acceptable; it just needs some refinement. What else can I say? Should I snap my heels and run the moment it suits him? I hope his motives are exactly as he stated in the letter and that there are no others,” he added.
The President also described the Prime Minister’s recent criticisms as inappropriate. “The nasty remarks about me going on excursions are beneath the level of a Prime Minister,” he said.
Regarding the possible timing of the sessions, President Milanović said they would be held very soon and saw no reason for the Prime Minister’s sense of urgency. “Remind me when Plenković ever reacted like this to one of my proposals. Never,” he noted. He added that the location of the meetings is unimportant to him and that he will not impose conditions. “It can be in the Office of the President, it can be in the Government. It cannot be at HDZ, that’s it. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter to me,” said President Milanović.
The President also criticized Prime Minister Plenković for obstructing the appointment of consuls general and ambassadors over the past six years. “And that is called responsible behavior toward the Croatian state? I have never done that, Ivo Sanader didn’t do that either, yet he does,” he warned.
In response to accusations that he is obstructing ambassadorial appointments, President Milanović said: “Obstructing? I, who have been seeking agreement for six years? It is my constitutional duty to appoint ambassadors. In fact, I have violated that duty by giving Plenković the opportunity to select more ambassadors and consuls general than I do. And he also chooses all officials according to party and personal ties. I give him room, but he refuses to yield anything because there are no sanctions he fears,” he said.