OHR CONDEMNS HDZ'S WITHHOLDING SUPPORT FOR MOSTAR MAYOR

MOSTAR, March 21 (Hina) - The international community is worried about attempts to jeopardise the position of Neven Tomic as the mayor of Mostar (southern Bosnia-Herzegovina), the head of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) branch in Mostar, Colin Munroe, said on Wednesday commenting on yesterday's decision by the town's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) branch to withhold its support for Tomic, the branch's vice-president and town mayor. The HDZ Mostar branch has entrusted its representatives in the town authorities to request Tomic's replacement as mayor. According to Munroe, replacing Tomic would not meet with understanding anywhere outside Mostar. Should Tomic be forced to resign, it would be impossible not to conclude that the party to which he belongs (HDZ) has lost interest not only in Mostar but especially in the benefit of Croats, the official said. The international community has been impressed with Tomic's dedication to reviving the local economy and his replacement as mayor would seriously hamper the implementation of his ideas on the town's development which have been accepted by the international community as well, Munroe said. Lack of political stability could jeopardise all of that, he added. (hina) sb rml