Salko Selimovic, Vaso Radic, Juraj Martinovic, Tarik Kupusovic, Dane Olbina, Dane Maljkovic, Dragutin Kosovac and Rasim Gacanovic have sent a letter to that effect to Bosnia's Presidency and Council of Ministers, asking that these bodies become involved in choosing the new high representative, Oslobodjenje daily said on Tuesday.
In the letter, the ex-mayors said the time had come for Bosnia's citizens to take part in proposing and choosing the next high representative, who they added should finally be someone who was familiar with the situation in the country.
Sarajevo's ex-mayors said Kucan was the most suitable person for the job because of his past achievements, notably when he was Slovenia's president.
The high representative is appointed by the Peace Implementation Council, which comprises officials from the most influential Western countries and Russia. Bosnia's authorities have had no influence whatsoever on the choices so far.
Until now, the post has been held by a European diplomat. Local media have announced that France is interested in the post and its candidate might be Bernard Kouchner, the former head of the UN Mission in Kosovo.