MOSTAR, Aug 6 (Hina) - World Bank director for Bosnia-Herzegovina Josef Ingram said in Mostar on Wednesday he disproved of a joint Bosnian-Malesian company, "Bosmal", drawing up a feasibility study for the project of corridor 5C,
running through Bosnia, and then getting the job of constructing the highway, as this would mean a conflict of interests.
MOSTAR, Aug 6 (Hina) - World Bank director for Bosnia-Herzegovina
Josef Ingram said in Mostar on Wednesday he disproved of a joint
Bosnian-Malesian company, "Bosmal", drawing up a feasibility study
for the project of corridor 5C, running through Bosnia, and then
getting the job of constructing the highway, as this would mean a
conflict of interests. #L#
Bosmal doing the feasibility study and obtaining a contract on the
construction of the highway could represent a problem not only for
the World Bank, but also for the entire donator community, Ingram
said in an interview for Sarajevo's "Dnevni avaz" daily.
According to the official, the World Bank believes that an
independent international institution should draw up the
feasibility study for the construction of the corridor. Ingram
stressed it was essential that the study be done by someone who had
no interest in the project whose worth has been estimated at between
two and three billion U.S. dollars.
The World Bank has offered the Bosnian government to finance the
drawing up of the feasibility study, but the government said it
would wait four months to see what Bosmal could accomplish, he
said.
The Croatian government recently expressed readiness to take part
in the construction of the corridor through the neighbouring
country. In talks with Bosnian government officials, Prime
Minister Ivica Racan stressed several times that he believed
European standards would be respected in the building of the
highway, including the publishing of a bid for tenders.
The corridor should connect Budapest and the southern Croatian port
of Ploce.
(hina) lml sb