In an interview, Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković also discussed relations within the ruling coalition.
In an interview with Jutarnji List, Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković said that former director of the Security Intelligence Agency (SOA) Dragan Lozančić would not be his adviser and would not work within the government, but added that he had earned the right to be appointed to an appropriate post, reports Jutarnji List on May 6, 2016.
“There were reports in media these days that he would become my advisor, but that is not true. He will not be my advisor, but he has earned the right for us to find him an appropriate post. We are going to announce it in due course”, said the Prime Minister and added that Lozančić would “certainly not work within the government system”.
The Prime Minister said that in a serious state it was not acceptable for a former director of an intelligence agency to be “left without a job”, and that Lozančić, regardless of the opinion of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, deserved at least a fair dismissal. “For me, this whole SOA affair is finished. The new director, who is a high-quality person, will take over in the next few days. Croatia is in safe hands”, said Orešković.
Asked whether the fact that HDZ’s members of the Parliamentary Committee on Interior Affairs and National Security voted against Orešković’s candidate Daniel Markić as the new director meant that he no longer had the support of the party that made him prime minister, Orešković pointed out that HDZ president and First Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko had a different opinion about the issue from the very beginning, ever since he and the President nominated Markić for the new SOA director. “Nothing has changed here, that is democracy. The Parliamentary Committee supported our proposal with six votes in favour and four votes against”, said Orešković and added that Markić received the support, according to information he had, thanks to “his very convincing CV”.
Orešković added that he had the support of the HDZ president. “If we did not have good relations, how could have we adopted a reform package”, he asked. “I think we have the support, but we also have differing opinions, which is not bad. Healthy debates sometimes lead to better results.”
Asked on whose side, MOST’s or HDZ’s, he was in connection with INA, the Prime Minister replied: “I am on Croatia’s side, and that side is to wait for the outcome of the arbitration proceedings, which we will not slow down. But, at the same time, we need to talk with MOL. This is a wider story because we must first define our energy strategy”, concluded the Prime Minister.
