"I am ready to support the government in all necessary measures and believe the government will do what needs to be done," Josipovic said in an interview with Croatian Television on Wednesday evening when asked if PM Kosor could count on his support in cutting grants, welfare benefits, and veterans' pensions.

"Of course, if the measures are not good, I will criticize them," he said.

Josipovic dismissed claims that by setting up a council to advise him on economic issues he was interfering in the work of the government, saying that under the Constitution, the President of the Republic also had to care about the stability of the system which he said today was closely related to economic issues.

Speaking of his economic council, Josipovic said that it was a broad forum which included people holding the key to the Croatian economy, and that he would soon establish a council for social equity, which will consist of union representatives and people caring about social sensitivity.

"The two forums will make sure that the Office of the President puts forward balanced initiatives," he said.

Commenting on criticisms provoked by his having reduced his security, Josipovic said that the measures he had taken were based on security assessments and traditions of democratic countries which did not exaggerate that issue. "It is not a matter of comfortableness, I want to promote the principle of the minimum requirements in security protection as established by professionals."

However, he does believe that making public details about his security and that of the Prime Minister was a mistake. An investigation has been launched in connection with that, Josipovic said, adding that Minister of the Interior Tomislav Karamarko had confirmed this to him today.

The president also said that results of an investigation into the involvement of the intelligence underworld in the recent presidential campaign would be made known soon.

Speaking of the set-up of his office, Josipovic said that he had set very high criteria for the appointment of his advisors, exposing them at the very beginning to public criticism.

When asked if in his office there were advisors to former President Stjepan Mesic who now did not have anything to do, as claimed by some media, Josipovic said that all members of Mesic's staff who had stayed at the office had either been reassigned or had kept their positions, and that nobody in his office was without an assignment.

Commenting on proposed amendments to the electoral system which envisage greater political responsibility and under which members of parliament would not be elected from lists tailored by political parties, but directly, Josipovic said that Croatia needed more political responsibility, but that that did not necessarily have to be related to the electoral system.

Josipovic repeated that he strongly supported the anti-corruption campaign without which there could be no European Croatia. He stressed than everyone holding an office in the senior state leadership had to persevere in that campaign.