Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday he was making a political gesture towards President Zoran Milanovic about the election of the next Military Security and Intelligence Agency (VSOA) director, but reiterated there would be no meeting in person until Milanovic apologised.

“I’m authorising Deputy Prime Minister and War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved, the government member in charge of national security, to talk on my behalf with anyone designated by the president about the candidate proposed, Brigadier General Mijo Validzic,” Plenkovic told the press.

If the president continues to boycott the proposal, Plenkovic is proposing that Medved and anyone designated by Milanovic find a constitutional and legal solution on the VSOA’s caretaker functioning after 10 July, when incumbent director Ivica Kinder’s term ends.

Plenkovic said he was proposing that since he and Milanovic could not directly communicate on Kinder’s successor because Milanovic had not apologised.

This is a political concession and gesture because this issue should be handled by Defence Minister Mario Banozic, whom Milanović is “rudely ignoring,” he added.

‘There is no constitutional crisis’

There is no constitutional crisis but “a false argument by the president, who aspires to be the chief of the opposition,” and the fact that the government’s proposal was sent to the President’s Office by Banozic in February, Plenkovic said, adding that the candidate is a military officer with all the necessary references.

The government has done everything to propose Validzic, who is neither from the (ruling) HDZ nor politically active, but from the system dealing with this matter, he said.

The president, he said, “is boycotting even considering and taking a position on the concrete proposal and is threatening to de facto retire all Croatian Army officers if they agree to be proposed by the defence minister.”

“That’s not normal,” Plenkovic said. “There is no (constitutional) crisis. The proposal is on the table. If he has a problem with the proposal, we’d like to hear it.”

As for Milanovic’s invitation yesterday that they meet urgently to agree on a candidate for the next VSOA director, Plenkovic said there would be no meeting before Milanovic apologised.

Last night, in a live TV broadcast, Milanovic said that by politically attacking the constitutional order and democracy, Plenkovic was bringing Croatia back to the time when the ruling party directly controlled intelligence services. He called on the prime minister not to do that, or he “will be forced to respond in line with my powers.”

Milanovic ‘is abusing presidency’

Plenkovic said Milanovic was abusing the public function of the president of the republic in communication, reiterating that their meeting in person will be possible if Milanovic apologises to the public, him, the government and the HDZ, whose members he calls a gang, thieves and criminals.

However, he said, “that doesn’t mean there is no agreeing. The agreeing can be done in writing, an exchange of notes, or in talks between authorised associates.”

Plenkovic said that “instead of false missives and alarming the public for no reason,” Milanovic should consider the proposed candidate seriously and in the next few days, so that Kinder could have a quality successor and the VSOA function legally and in national interests.

“The political narrative he put forward yesterday, to alarm other actors, I guess, is incorrect and he practically abused his role as president… I want the Croatian public to be aware of that,” Plenkovic said.

The communication between the president and the prime minister can be direct, provided that it is polite, normal and cooperative, but no apology came from the president, only a score of false arguments, he added.