ZAGREB, January 24, 2019 – Social Democratic Party (SDP) MP Arsen Bauk said on Thursday that the SDP would launch the interpellation procedure by Monday to address government activities regarding the failed purchase of F-16 fighter jets from Israel until Monday.
“The interpellation has been prepared. For it to be sent into the parliamentary procedure, it is necessary to have the support of only 10% of lawmakers, and therefore we are not going to ask other opposition parties to support the submission of interpellation, but we expect their support during the vote on the matter,” Bauk said.
Asked by the press whether the latest scandal about fake photos showing Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić in an embarrassing situation has pushed the failed acquisition of fighter jets to the back burner, Bauk answered: “Certainly, if you have something that can distract media attention from a certain matter, you can say that media interest in that matter has lessened.”
“However, I don’t want to believe that the Tolušić affair was intentionally spun to overshadow the failure to acquire the fighter jets,” the SDP parliamentarian said.
Asked how come that former defence minister Željka Antunović of the SDP said that this was not Defence Minister Damir Krstičević’s fault, Bauk said that she had the right to think so. “Mrs Antunović was one of the best defence ministers, and her opinion should be respected. However, it is not certain if she expressed her opinion based on all information. It seems to me that she commented on the case before it became evident that contacts between the US and Croatia were more frequent and more intense than originally indicated. True, it is unusual that she has a diametrically opposite position to the SDP’s view,” Bauk concluded.
More news on the failed deal can be found in the Politics section.
