With reference to the Supreme Defense Council's decision to withdraw the state secret code from the special purposes military object “Karas” in Topcider, as well as with reference to open questions regarding the status of Branislav Puhalo, a member of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance was addressed by a number of journalists from various media. Rodoljub Sabic the Commissioner for Information made the following statement:

« We live in an environment which is literary poisoned by various lies, half truths and «secrets». That is why any contribution towards the decontamination of this environment is worth praise. This could have been the case with the Supreme Defense Council's decision. Due to its untimely passing, inconsistency and the mode of realization, it was not the case, on the contrary.

Leaving other controversies behind, from the position of the Commissioner, I am obliged to draw special attention to the fact that the Supreme Defense Council entrusted the media of its choice with the public display of the special object.

The Law on Free Access to the Information of Public Importance strictly forbids government bodies to favour any media, and it evens stipulates sanctions for such behaviour. The Law is republic one and as such does not apply to the bodies of the State Union. Thus, at least formally, the Supreme Defense Council did not have to take into consideration the provisions of this Law. But in any case it should have taken into account the standards established in democratic societies long ago. There the differences between media can be a consequence of conception, style, quality and many other things, but not the monopoly to the access to information. Especially not the state monopoly.

In relation to the questions which are open regarding Branislav Puhalo in the Army of Serbia and Montenegro, that is Ministry of defense of the State Union, the Commissioner for Information, according with the aforementioned, also does not have legal authority. It is understood that I am of the opinion that the right to free access to the information of public importance should always be respected. Nothing except, legally based, justified social interest should not be the reason to limit that right.»