MOSTAR, UNIFICATION ON PAPER ONLY MOSTAR, April 26 (Hina) - The international community's High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, visited the southern city of Mostar on Monday to attend the official launch of a joint
fire service which has up until now been divided into two departments operating in the predominantly Muslim east part of the city and the Croat majority west.
MOSTAR, April 26 (Hina) - The international community's High
Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, visited the
southern city of Mostar on Monday to attend the official launch of a
joint fire service which has up until now been divided into two
departments operating in the predominantly Muslim east part of the
city and the Croat majority west.#L#
The unification of the two departments into a single service is the
first case of unification of a municipal institution and was hailed by
Ashdown. He said that the unification of the city was a very difficult
process and that there were many serious problems yet to be resolved,
including the problem of a single municipal budget.
I do not want to underestimate the gravity of the problems lying
ahead, Ashdown said, adding that the deadline for the unification of
municipal institutions was this October, before country-wide local
elections.
The High Representative admitted that the decision on the unification
of Mostar, which he had imposed in late January, was still functioning
only on paper and that citizens had not yet seen any improvement in
their daily lives as a result of it.
Mayor Hamdija Jahic and his deputy, Ljubo Beslic, agreed that the
unification of the Fire Service was a step forward, but warned that
the unification of municipal companies was yet to be carried out.
(Hina) vm