Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, Defence Minister Branko Vukelic, the Croatian Armed Forces' chief of staff General Josip Lucic, and President Ivo Josipovic's military advisor, Zlatko Gareljic, on Friday visited the two pilots of the crashed MiG 21 fighter airplanes, who were currently in the Dubrava hospital in Zagreb.
The pilots ejected safely when their planes crashed during an exercise at the Slunj training ground, about 80 kilometres south of Zagreb, on Thursday. They sustained light injuries.
After visiting them, Kosor said that it was now most important that the pilots were fine.
"We will already get the findings of the investigation (into the accident)," Kosor said adding that she was sure that the accident did not happened to a lack of money, as some were now speculating.
In response to reporters' question, Defence Minister Vukelic said the pilots had not yet been interviewed by a commission of inquiry probing into the two planes' crash.
"The pilots' health is of the utmost importance, and they will have time to say all what is relevant for the investigation," the minister said.
Kosor said that the Defence Council would convene as soon as President Josipovic and she came back from New York. Josipovic is currently in New York on the occasion of the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Kosor travels there this weekend.
Minister Vukelic said that the top officials would be acquainted with possible models for modernising the air force.
According to him, one of possibilities is to overhaul the current fleet or to purchase new aircraft.
In response to speculations that NATO can be entrusted with protecting Croatia's air space, Vukelic said that no decision had been made to that effect and that this possibility had not been discussed.
The woman who was seriously wounded by debris of the military planes that crashed near a field in which she was doing field works, will be transferred from the Ogulin hospital to the Zagreb clinical hospital later on Friday.
