ASHDOWN SAYS MOSTAR UNIVERSITY NOT TO BE CLOSED DOWN

MOSTAR, April 26 (Hina) - During his visit to Mostar on Monday, High Representative Paddy Ashdown rejected the possibility of the international community closing down the university in this southern city after Croat ministers in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Council of Ministers recently voted against a proposed bill on higher education.#L# The bill was backed by Bosniak and Serb ministers and was sent to parliament for adoption by no later than May 7. The Croat ministers opposed the bill, saying that it advocated regulation of higher education at entity level rather than at country level in order to protect ethnic interests and ethnic equality. The Student Council at the University of Mostar, the only institution of higher education in Bosnia-Herzegovina with courses in the Croatian language, has protested against the bill, saying that it puts the University of Mostar in an unequal position in relation to other universities in the country. Students expressed fears that the bill might threaten the existence of the University and the official use of the Croatian language at it. Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with students, Ashdown said that the students' fears were unfounded and that the bill provided guarantees that the University of Mostar would be protected. The High Representative reiterated that Bosnia-Herzegovina would lose US42 million in aid from the World Bank unless the higher education bill was adopted by May 7. (Hina) vm