Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has denied allegations that yesterday's (Thu) military air crash which left two pilots and a woman on the ground injured was caused by budget cuts.After visiting the injured pilots who ejected themselves from the two MIG-21 planes after one of the cockpit covers flew off smashing into the other plane, PM Kosor said that a lack of funding or Ministry of Defense's budget cuts were not responsible for the accident. According to the pilots, both planes were operational, she said, but added that a detailed investigation is underway.Croatian president Ivo Josipovic, on the other hand, said that the crash is a serious blow and a motive for discussion about the direction of the development of Croatia's armed forces, and airforce in particular.He added that Croatia is fortunate to be part of the NATO alliance and that it can thus combine its defence capabilities with those of NATO.Asked whether Croatia should reconsider entrusting NATO with the protection of Croatia's airspace as its neighbor Slovenia did, he said that "all options remain open."Croatia has 12 MIG-21 planes in its airforce fleet, out of which a third are regarded as currently not suitable for flying.
Source: Croatian Times Online News
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