MOSTAR IS GOING ON MOSTAR, Feb 26 (Hina) - A two-day international conference on investments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is taking place in Mostar, will not be discontinued despite the tragedy in which Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski and another eight persons aboard Beechcraft Super King Air B200 were killed when their plane crashed into a mount near the town of Stolac, the chairman of the Bosnian collective presidency and the head of the committee organising the Mostar event told a news conference o Thursday afternoon.
MOSTAR, Feb 26 (Hina) - A two-day international conference on
investments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is taking place in Mostar,
will not be discontinued despite the tragedy in which Macedonian
President Boris Trajkovski and another eight persons aboard Beechcraft
Super King Air B200 were killed when their plane crashed into a mount
near the town of Stolac, the chairman of the Bosnian collective
presidency and the head of the committee organising the Mostar event
told a news conference o Thursday afternoon.#L#
Dragan Covic explained that the decision on continuing the Mostar
conference was made after he talked with Macedonian Prime Minister
Branko Crvenkovski on the phone.
Covic confirmed that after Thursday morning's plane crash, delegations
of Slovenia, Albania and Serbia-Montenegro cancelled their arrival in
Mostar and that many bilateral talks were also cancelled.
Friday is proclaimed a day of mourning in Bosnia-Herzegovina because
of the tragedy.
In Mostar, all cultural and public events, which were scheduled for
Thursday evening were cancelled, and all such events are cancelled
throughout Bosnian tomorrow.
The plane carrying Macedonian President, his four associates, two
bodyguards and two pilots crashed in inaccessible terrain and only
NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) and the Bosnian police could reach
the scene of the accident.
After the crash the Bosnian air space was closed for traffic, but
transport by air resumed a few hours later, Covic explained.
Covic extended condolences to the family of President Trajkovski and
other victims of the crash as well as to the government and citizens
of Macedonia.
The international community's High Representative to Bosnia, Paddy
Ashdown, who was with Covic at the news conference, also offered
condolences.
He praised the late Trajkovski for his huge contribution to the
building of peace in Macedonia, his country's bids to come closer to
European institutions and to the stabilisation of the situation in
south-eastern Europe.
Ashdown confirmed that the decision to continue with the conference
despite the tragedy was right. He went on to say that the
international conference should not be neglected given that great
efforts had been made in its organisation.
(Hina) ms sb