BRCKO, 1 Jun (Hina) - A roadway bridge over the river Sava linking Brcko, north-eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina and Gunja, eastern Croatia, was opened for traffic on Sunday by the Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa and the U.S. Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright.
BRCKO, 1 Jun (Hina) - A roadway bridge over the river Sava linking
Brcko, north-eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina and Gunja, eastern Croatia, was
opened for traffic on Sunday by the Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa and
the U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. #L#
'The Republic of Croatia fully and sincerely supports all efforts
of the international community which resulted in today's opening of the
bridge', Matesa said.
We believe that the time has come for all signatories to the Dayton
agreement to cooperate with the aim of bringing about economic revival
in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the return of all refugees, Matesa said.
The bridge is a way to Europe, both symbolically and literally, the
U.S. Secretary of State said.
The opening ceremony, held on the Bosnian side of the bridge, was
also attended by two co-chairmen of the Bosnian Council of Ministers,
Boro Bosic and Haris Silajdzic. Thanking the United States for its help
in opening the bridge, Silajdzic said: 'The success of our efforts will
be measured by the number of people who return to their homes'.
Speaking about the problem of Brcko, Albright stressed that the
U.S. would provide help in the organisation of local elections and
establishment of local bodies of authority and police in Brcko.
The decision on Brcko would depend on Ambassador Robert Farrand's
estimation of how the two entities are implementing the Dayton
agreement, Albright said.
The opening of the bridge was also attended by the transitional
administrator of Brcko, Robert Farrand, representative of the U.S.
President for the implementation of the peace agreement, Robert Gelbard
and other U.S. officials.
The Croatian delegation included Interior Minister Ivan Penic, the
Customs Administration head Josip Knezic, Assistant Foreign Minister
Hido Biscevic and Vukovar County Prefect Rudolf Koenig.
The Bosnian delegation attending the ceremony included the two
Council of Ministers' co-chairmen, Croat deputy co-chairman Neven Tomic
and Bosnia's Ambassador to Croatia, Kasim Trnka.
The Croatian customs services are ready for freight and passenger
traffic over the Brcko bridge. The bridge is the third border crossing
on the Sava between Croatia and Bosnia and is the only one which is
operational, Penic said.
When traffic over the bridge will start running depends on the
Bosnian side and international forces, because the bridge is under
Bosnian Serb control, he said.
The 888-m-long bridge over the Sava connecting Brcko and Gunja was
damaged in an explosion on 30 April 1992.
The bridge was opened for traffic for the needs of the
Implementation Force (IFOR) by a U.S. General, James Patrick O'Neal, in
March 1996.
(hina) rm
011938 MET jun 97