DEFENCE MINISTRY IN COUNCIL OF MINISTERS PARTICULARLY PROBLEMATIC

BANJA LUKA, JULY 15 /SRNA/ – Slobodan Župljanin, the head of the Organisation of Republika Srpska Army Senior Officers, states the Ministry of Defence within the Council of Ministers is particularly problematic due to numerous scandals, describing Minister Zukan Helez as one of the biggest "hawks" from the Federation of BiH.

Župljanin emphasized that the defence minister, who has made threats involving drones, should not be behaving in such a manner, but that his rhetoric is nothing more than "shooting blanks and shooting oneself in the foot". "What they are doing brings no benefit to the Federation of BiH, to BiH in general, or to any of its citizens. Their actions only accelerate the disintegration of BiH," Župljanin told the press. He underlined that Republika Srpska must prioritize its own security component and the safety of all citizens living within its territory. "Republika Srpska is sending messages of peace and calling for dialogue and negotiations. In the end, everyone will have to return to what Republika Srpska is offering, because no one else will be able to resolve the problems in BiH except the legal and legitimate leadership of its constituent peoples," Župljanin said. He reiterated that for Republika Srpska, only the constitutional and Dayton-based BiH is acceptable.