Heads of State Media Removed

"Paris Circle" of Resignations

AIM Zagreb, 13 February, 1999

Having returned from his fifth (!) visit to Ankara, where Demirel had mentioned to him that Turkey was his second homeland, Croatian president Tudjman, while still at Zagreb airport, immediately after landing, saw fit to declare triumphantly: "The 'Paris circle' of resignations is terminated". Although he did not say it explicitly, it is obvious that he referred to Branko Salaj, the former director of Hina, Croatian news agency, and Mirko Galic, member of the management of Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) and director of Television. The "Paris circle" of resignations which according to Tudjman they have rounded off, had recently started by that of Hrvoje Sarinic, who was for a long time the head of the office of Croatian president and one of the people who had enjoyed his greatest confidence. All three of them - Sarinic, Salaj and Galic - due to different circumstances, had lived in Paris for a long time, and it seemed necessary to present this to the Croatian public as a hint to a possible "Paris conspiracy". The unpleasant truth that resignations of important people are appearing on his desk almost every day, was in his customary arrogant manner, mockingly wrapped up in the phrase about the "Paris circle" as if it had been some organised group which had united in order to shake up Croatia and its regime.

Everyone else except Tudjman would be greatly worried by the fact that within just two days he received resignations of heads of two most important media - national television station and state news agency. Explanations of their departure are also extremely indicative: as one of the most significant reasons, Salaj stated "ideologisation of Hina" which he had not managed to transform into a public service, while Galic said the same, but in a somewhat different formulation: "I have not succeeded to do what I had intended, so I am withdrawing". And what Galic had intended to do, the Croatian public knows only too well. He advocated transformation of state and party television into a public station, wishing to make HRT a modern European media. He joined Forum 21, a group of "dissident" journalists of HRT who have publicly risen in defence of their profession and against unison that prevailed in the "cathedral of Croatian spirit" (expression of Antun Vrdoljak, one of the previous directors general of HRT).

Resignations of Salaj and Galic occurred at an exceptionally inconvenient moment for Croatia. In the Vienna seat of OSCE - while Salaj and Galic were writing their resignations - report on Croatia was on the agenda, which to a large extent referred to unfavourable situation in the media. Freimut Duve, OSCE representative for freedom of media, repeated the already known criticism about full control of electronic media by the authorities, adding to this gloomy picture new dark shades: police spying and wiretapping of journalists, a frightening number of appeals with enormous financial compensations demanded for suffered "mental agony", situation in Tisak, the monopolist newspaper distribution network which due to fishy business deals of the greatest Croatian tycoon and Tudjman's favourite, Miroslav Kutle, brought majority of newspaper publishers to the verge of ruin.

The situation on Croatian Television, two days after Galic's resignation, was very vividly described by UN commissioner for human rights, former Czech dissident Jiri Dienstbier, who is staying in Zagreb right now: "We have received information that freedom of the media is guaranteed in Croatia, but the reports we have seen on HTV remind me of reports of Czechoslovakian television in the seventies". Dienstbier's very serious warning is just one of numerous critical remarks against Croatian Television ppuring in from all directions. With the exception of the rightist radical faction of the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) which has lately taken over control of the most significant segments of Croatian society, it seems that everybody is dissatisfied with state Television. From the opposition which due to the situation in the media is considering the possibility of boycott of the elections, the League of Peasants who are discontented by suspension of the tv journalist who makes the show on agriculture (very critical Ivo Loncar) are announcing massive protests and appealing on the population to stop paying tv subscription, to the already mentioned Forum 21 and international monitoring organizations.

The resignations of Salaj and Galic should be observed in the light of the election year Croatia has entered. Although leaders of HDZ are insisting and vowing that there will be no early elections (parliamentary elections should take place at the end of this or in the beginning of next year), the election campaign has already begun. Aware of strongly expressed political and social tensions, HDZ has decided to wage a long and tiring campaign. It is founding all kinds of leagues of peasants, pensioners, tradesmen and workers, its leaders are roaming around Croatia, promising changes and prosperity, so that even if elections take place earlier (the opposition is announcing a series of protests which should reach their climax in June), HDZ will have a very good headstart which the opposition parties will have difficulties catching up with. The right faction of HDZ headed by Tudjman's advisor for internal policy is hurriedly working on dismantling of the whole political inftrastructure in order to get well prepared for the elections and definitely take over power. Indeed, by now former director of Hina, Branko Salaj, has publicly said that Pasalic was in the background of his replacement. Another member of the "Paris circle" also had to leave because of Pasalic, Hrvoje Sarinic, and Galic's departure would never had occurred if it had not been for Pasalic. Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, vice president of HDZ, who is very close to Hrvoje Sarinic, according to certain rumours, has threatened she would resign if director general of HTV, Ivica Vrkic, was removed from the post. Skare-Ozbolt and Vrkic are political associates back from the time of their joint work on peaceful reintegration of Croatian Podunavlje. When it had already been agreed that Vesna Skare-Ozbolt (who enjoyed Sarinic's confidence) would take over the post of director of HTV, the right faction of HDZ violently opposed it. A compromise was reached, and Vrkic came to the head of HRT, but since Sarinic's shadow was cast on him, too, he is still the target of Pasalic's attack and his supporters.

After all, in an interview Pasalic has recently said that he was dissatisfied with the editorial policy of HRT programs, which was a clear warning to Vrkic to start packing suitcases. A few scandals because certain already announced political shows were taken off the program ("Jedan plus jedan" /One Plus One/, by Dubravka Merlic and Tihomir Ladisic, members of Forum 21), racist excesses (of Branka Separovic) and a new tide of hate speech ("Hrvatski spomenar" /Croatian Album/), testify best about the chaotic situation in the "cathedral of Croatian spirit".

As the elections approach, the situation in TV and media in general will be increasingly strained, so that the "Paris circle" of resignations may be joined by other "circles". Demads are already heard that the still alive Vrkic be relieved of duty, although his position might have been somewhat since he was put on the team which accompanied Tudjman which was for three days in Turkey leading Croatia into Europe. One of the candidates for the post is the indestructible Goran Milic, a man of all times, who advanced from an editor of central daily news program of Television Belgrade, through Yutel, to a star of HRT such as it is now. When Milic recently made a tv interview with Tudjman, the Croatian state leader warmly advised the new Croatian television star that it would be good if he stopped smoking. Tudjman is concerned about Milic's health because he needs lively men for responsible posts. If Milic obeys Tudjman and stops smoking, it will be no consolation for all those who have finished their careers on state television.

DRAGO HEDL