ZAGREB, April 16 (Hina) - With about several hundred citizens present from Bosanska Posavina, mostly returnees and local government representatives from Domaljevac-Samac in Bosnia and Slavonski Samac, Croatia, the bridge over the Sava
river was opened for normal traffic on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, April 16 (Hina) - With about several hundred citizens
present from Bosanska Posavina, mostly returnees and local
government representatives from Domaljevac-Samac in Bosnia and
Slavonski Samac, Croatia, the bridge over the Sava river was opened
for normal traffic on Tuesday. #L#
The European Union invested about EUR14 million into the bridge.
Deputy Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Cvjetkovic-Kurelac
stressed the exceptional significance of the bridge that connects
Corridor Five D and the Adriatic coast.
This is the largest project in the region, including the
reconstruction of the bridges near Gradiska and Brcko, both being
sponsored by the EU, Hans Kretschmer said on behalf of the EU. He
added that the EU would soon commence a project to reconstruct the
Ploce-Samac Railway. He criticised representatives of Bosnia's
Council of Ministers and the Republika Srpska government for not
coming to the ceremony of the bridge opening.
The Republika Srpska government did not accept an invitation to
attend the ceremony because of a conflict over the customs
terminal. According to the Dayton peace agreement, the bridge and
space around it belong to the Bosnian Federation. The Federation
Customs authority claim that this could be the ideal spot to set up a
customs terminal. The Republika Srpska customs authority, however,
have occupied a building in the immediate vicinity of the border
crossing and demand that the customs terminal be set up on Republika
Srpska soil.
For now, only private vehicles will be able to cross the bridge
whose occupants do not carry any goods that require customs
checks.
(hina) sp sb