President Milanović: The choice of a new defense minister is up to the Prime Minister, but it would be good if the person would communicate normally with the Office of the President
“It’s up to the Prime Minister to decide, it will be someone loyal to him and that’s the most important characteristic for the job. I have no say in the matter. At the same time, in accordance with the Constitution, I am Commander in Chief and I am responsible for defense and security, it doesn’t say how, but it’s written in the Constitution. It will be someone chosen by Plenković, and it would be good it that person would bring to his attention that not one session of the National Security Council has been held for two years because he didn’t want it, yet it should happen”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović stated today when commenting on the dismissal of Defense minister Mario Banožić.
The President of the Republic did not speculate on the names of the candidates, but stated which characteristics the new Defense minister should have. “The minister should be someone who will communicate normally with my advisers because I don’t have much common ground with the minister, we’re not on the same level. The level of the President is the Prime Minister in these matters. That’s why the responsibility for the choice of the person is exclusively the Prime Minister’s. You’ve seen how it has been in the past three years”, President Milanović noted.
“The defense minister has a very visible and demanding job, it’s a political position, it has to be someone who will be loyal to the boss, especially in the HDZ. My minister was Kotromanović who was very independent, who could speak well with his interlocutors worldwide, who represented Croatia in an active, managerial way. Male, female, it’s all the same”, President Milanović continued, adding that with “his choice of minister Plenković will show what he thinks and what his intentions are”. As for minister Banožić, he said that “he had to go in terrible circumstances”, adding that he “doesn’t wish him anything bad because he’s had it bad enough”.
President Milanović was asked by the press about the case of Radimir Čačić who was dismissed during his government’s rule after being sentenced for a traffic accident in which he was involved in 2010. “The circumstances around Čačić were quite different. It took a long time for guilt to be established, and it was never clear what actually had happened. Čačić was responsible and had to go. In this horrible case, unfortunately, everything is clear. It’s clear who’s to blame. At this time I express my condolences to the family of Mr. Šarić, I don’t know what to say. The man lost his life, his children have lost their father, his wife has lost her husband, but there’s no doubt who was on the side he shouldn’t have been. The difference is so evident that a totally different approach is necessary. Banožić was where he shouldn’t have been, had he been driving 10 km/hour, he shouldn’t have been there”, he noted.
“Those who are saying publicly that this came at the right time for Plenković are sick. It didn’t come at the right time, it appears that someone had to die for the minister to be dismissed. And had nobody died, how would have Plenković reacted? He probably would have also dismissed the minister because he was at the wrong place. There was no choice here”, the President said, and repeated that he expects the new minister to cooperate well with his advisers and the Head of the Office of the President.
Speaking about the minors accused of terrorism, President Milanović repeated that this is additional reason for a National Security Council session. “Who’s obstructing? Who hasn’t wanted one for two years because he can manage without me as if it’s about me. That’s our duty, we must have one”, he noted, and called on Prime Minister Plenković to be careful of his accusations of terrorism.” Plenković called a terrorist the unfortunate lad who shot at Banski Dvori (Seat of the Government). And now we’re hearing accusations about a political party advocating terrorism. Well then, let’s talk about it if it’s true. Such things are not to be taken lightly”, President Milanović warned.