MOSTAR MOSTAR, Aug 28 (Hina) - The current chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's three-man Presidency and Croat member in that body, Dragan Covic, and Bosnian Muslim member Sulejman Tihic, on Thursday visited the reconstructed Old Bridge
in Mostar.
MOSTAR, Aug 28 (Hina) - The current chairman of Bosnia-
Herzegovina's three-man Presidency and Croat member in that body,
Dragan Covic, and Bosnian Muslim member Sulejman Tihic, on Thursday
visited the reconstructed Old Bridge in Mostar. #L#
Their visit ensued a few days after last Sunday's traditional
competition was organised in which more than 20 divers dived from
the reconstructed bridge to the Neretva river.
Sunday's organisation of the competition, which had not been held
until now from the time of the Croat-Muslim conflict in 1993/4 when
the bridge was destroyed in an artillery attack of Croat units,
provoked an argument between local Croat and Muslim (Bosniak)
officials. The bickering followed after a minute of silence was
observed only for the fallen Muslim soldiers at the start of the
competition, and Croats objected to this, describing it as an act of
intolerance.
Croat authorities recalled that victims from other peoples also
gave their lives for the defence of this southern city.
Local Muslim officials admitted that it was an oversight when
tribute was paid only to Muslim victims and not to others, but added
that the mistake was unintentional.
On Thursday, Covic and Tihic said the reconstruction bridge was a
symbol of the unification of Mostar. Covic called on city
authorities to continue with positive processes and Tihic added
that the rebuilding of the Old Bridge should encourage Mostar
citizens to forget what had divided them in the past.
As part of positive processes in Mostar, the municipal assembly of
the Croat-populated Southwest section of the city on Thursday made
a decision on the administrative unification of the local grammar
school named for Friar Grgo Martic with another grammar school from
the Muslim-populated eastern section of town.
The administrative unification means that as of the start of the
coming school year, the high school will have one headmaster, one
budget and one governing committee.
The municipal assembly in the Muslim-populated section of the city
voted in favour of the schools' unification last week.
The OSCE mission in Bosnia welcomed today's decision of local
authorities in favour of the unification of the high school.
(hina) ms