(15 Jul 1996) Eng/Serbo-Croat/Nat
Tension in Bosnia is growing over recent decisions by the international community affecting the trouble-ridden region.
As ethnic tensions continue to rise in Mostar, E-U foreign ministers met on Monday in Brussels where they decided to extend their mandate in the city instead of pulling out as planned on July 22.
While Mostar has welcomed the international economic help its received over the past two years many are unhappy with the E-U's continuing political influence.
Tension in various areas of Bosnia are on the increase.
Many Bosnian Serbs are making it clear they will not give up their leaders without a fight.
On Friday, a bomb destroyed this I-P-T-F vehicle outside the forces headquarters in the town of Vlasenica injuring two officers.
The police chief in the Bosnian Serb town of Pale has been threatening to harm N-A-T-O and U-N troops if Western forces make any attempt to exercise their new international warrant and arrest Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.
A spokesman for the (I-P-T-F) International Police Task Force in Bosnia says this obviously no idle threat.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"In fact even the building all the building were shaking. We didn't know what actually had happened.. In about 20 minutes later I had a telephone call from the duty officer informing me of a explosion at the I-P-T-F (International Police Task Force) station. I rushed to the place and I saw that this vehicle had damaged and 20 of the windows are also raised down. "
SUPER CAPTION: Commander Owusu Mensij I-P-T-F
While international troops are facing threats of more violence in Serb held areas of Bosnia there is also growing tension in the divided city of Mostar.
Ricardo Casado, the European Union Administrator for Mostar, has announced his mandate is over on the 22 July. That mandate was extended on Monday.
His successor has been named as Sir Martin Garrod of Britain who had been chief of staff to the E-U administration in Mostar.
But this extension of the mandate has not been met with universal approval.
SOUNDBITE: (Croatian)
"The European Union has been in the City of Mostar for two years now. We can talk about good and bad aspects of them being here. Naturally, the money E-U used is welcome in the destroyed city: schools have been reconstructed, lot's of the infrastructure, not that much of economy, and we are satisfied with this part. However, we don't like the fact that their money has been used in political purposes very often."
SUPER CAPTION: Mijo Brajkovic, Mayor of the western side of the Mostar
The Croatian mayor insists changes must be made to the new E-U Mandate.
SOUNDBITE: (in Croatian)
"Extension of mandate under this conditions: NO! E-U has to change their relation to Croatian side. They can stay in the city of Mostar only if they not this condition."
SUPER CAPTION: Mijo Brajkovic, Mayor of the western side of the Mostar
Mostar is a deeply divided city.
Mostar had 126 thousand citizens before the war (1991. Census, Mostar: 126,067 inhabitants, Croats-33.8%, Muslims-34.8%, Serbs-19.0%, Others-12.4%).
The city became a battleground between Serbs and allied Muslim-Croat forces when the war broke out in April 1992.
In the spring of 1993 "The second Mostar war" started when Croats started to fight the Muslim-led government army for the city which they envision as their own capital in Bosnia.
On 18 March 1994 as agreement was sign in Washington, followed by Memorandum of Understanding on the European Union Administration of Mostar beginning in June 1994.
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