Rift in Serbian defence ministry surfaces

Dec 24, 2008, 12:01 GMT

Belgrade - An interview with the Serbian chief general, Zdravko Ponos, on Wednesday confirmed rumours of a deep rift in the country's defence apparatus, with Ponos accusing the defence ministry of 'incompetence' and 'arrogance.'

'The defence policy here functions only symbolically. One could say it doesn't exist,' Ponos told the daily Politika when asked about tension in relations with Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac.

The rift was reported when army generals - on Ponos' orders, it turned out - refused to attend a reception hosted by Sutanovac earlier in the week.

Ponos said he stressed in Sutanovac's cabinet how crucial military reforms lagged. 'However, that place is not there to resolve problems, but a place to share compliments,' he said.

The daily Blic quoted sources as saying that the general staff was divided in loyalty.

Meanwhile, Sutanovac asked President Boris Tadic to step in and opposition speakers in parliament asked Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic to explain what was happening with national defence.

The Serbian military has been deteriorating since the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, with the army spending dwindling funds on decrepit machinery.

In addition, Ponos pointed out that defence financing was shared by 19,500 soldiers and 10,000 bureaucrats.