Croats in Bosnia warned they can't have entity "without war"

Bakir Izetbegovic says that Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) "cannot get (their separate) third entity in BiH without conflict and war."

After the 1992-95 war, the country is made up of the Serb Republic (RS), the Serb entity, and the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (FBiH).

"About 60 percent of Croats live mixed with Bosniaks in BiH," said Izetbegovic, who is the Bosniak (Muslim) representative in the tripartite BiH Presidency.

"Where would they manage to draw that line of a third entity, which they failed to do in 1993 with the HVO (Croatian Council of Defense). This is nonsense that serves for their own voters, and to pressure the Bosniaks," Izetbegovic told Croatia's state broadcaster HRT.

He added that this was "a warning to all who want to break up BiH."

"They should not count on separating Srebrenica, Tomasica, Brcko and other places from BiH. Bakir and the Bosniaks will not start a conflict. It is known who always started wars in the Balkans. It's better to tell them in time - do not cross the red line," Izetbegovic said.

He also asserted that the Bosniaks, unlike the Croats, "want a relaxation of relations."

"It's not right that they (Croats) are raising a cross over Mostar. Can you imagine how the Croats would feel if one were to put an (Islamic) moon and a star on a common hill. Do not make Bosniak children learn Croatian, that their capital is Zagreb, give them diplomas with checkerboards (Croatian coat-of-arms) - which is happening in central Bosnia," said Izetbegovic.

Speaking about the construction of the Peljesac Bridge, Izetbegovic said that "Croatia needs to solve" the issues of the border with BiH, and of access to the open sea.