SARAJEVO, July 23 -- The former mayor of Bremen, Germany, was installed as the new U.N. administrator for the divided southern Bosnian city of Mostar Saturday. The inagural ceremony for Hans Koschnik in Mostar was attended by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic, who both said the move brought new confidence to the Bosnian Croat-Muslim federation. 'The scent of confidence that is supposed to be spread all over Bosnia is getting its start in Mostar,' said Tudjman. 'Croatia lends its full support in this project.' Koschnik said his priorities in assuming his new duties were to include the reconstruction of the devastated city and to further decrease still smoldering tensions between former combatants, the Bosnian Croat and Muslim-led Bosnian government armies. 'Both sides should concentrate on working together for the rebuilding of Mostar,' Koschnik said. U.N. Protection Force spokesman Maj. Rob Annink said most of the confrontation lines between the warring parties have been 'mostly demilitarized.' U.S. congressman Frank McCloskey visited Mostar earlier in the month on a fact-finding mission to see how the April 27 U.S.-sponsored accord between Muslims and Croats was being implemented. McCloskey concluded there was still a great deal of hostility between some of the Bosnian Croats who inhabit the western bank of the Neretva river that divides the city, and Bosnian Muslims on the east bank. 'The situation in Mostar is still pretty bad,' he said. 'In addition to the tensions, the city is without electricity and without drinking water,' he added.
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel also attended the ceremony along with Kresimir Zubak, the Croat president of the Muslim-Croat federation, Charles Redman, U.S. special envoy to former Yugoslavia, U.N. special envoy Yasushi Akashi and the commander of U.N. forces in Bosnia, Lt. Gen. Michael Rose. Kinkel was sure the festering wounds of year-long bloodshed between the warring parties were on the mend. 'Now Mostarians should destroy all the invisible walls dividing the two banks and start to build not only concrete bridges but also the bridges in their minds as well.' United Press International monitored the ceremony from Sarajevo on the Bosnian government controlled radio BIH, which gave extensive coverage to Izetbegovic's remarks while downplaying those of other dignitaries, including Koschnik. The text of Izetbegovic's speech stated the instalation of Koschnik heralded a positive and new step in relations between the former combatants. 'We will do our best to see this project is successful,' he said. 'This is a day when a new page in relations between our people is opened.' (Edited by Natela Cutter in Belgrade)
