"War unlikely, but we'll prepare for that scenario, too"

Bakir Izetbegovic says he "doesn't believe there will be a new war in Bosnia-Herzegovina - but the country will prepare for that scenario as well."

"I don't think anyone would dare start a conflict again in BiH (Bosnia-Herzegovina)... but that doesn't mean we should not react and prepare for every possible scenario," Izetbegovic, who currently chairs the tripartite Presidency of BiH, told journalists in Sarajevo, Croatian daily Jutarnji List is reporting.

According to the article, this was his comment on an earlier statement made by the head of government of the Muslim-Croat entity in BiH, the Federation of BiH (FBiH). Namely, Fadil Novalic spoke about "the need to strengthen and round off the entity's defense industry, which is increasingly stronger and finding new markets abroad."

Izetbegovic said there was "nothing wrong in military factories in BiH increasing production and selling, and conquering new markets."

"We will certainly not be spending hundreds of millions of dollars and euros on buying missile systems, airplanes, like our neighbors are doing, and I don't know why they need that, but we will round off our defense industry," said Izetbegovic, and added that "this can be important not only from the commercial point of view."

"We will do that for the market, but also for 'god forbid'," he said.

Izetbegovic, who represents Bosniaks (Muslims) in the BiH Presidency, also said that "one should still be careful - considering that there are attempts to create an armed force out of the police in the Serb Republic (the Serb entity in BiH), and to stigmatize Bosniaks, who defended BiH."

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