- Title: BOSNIA: Bomb destroys war memorial in divided Bosnian town of Mostar
- Date: 14th January 2013
- Summary: MOSTAR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MOSQUES AND CHURCHES IN ETHNICALLY DIVIDED MOSTAR
- Embargoed: 29th January 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Topics: Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA93B4ZSZTF0I37TF4TKR3F7JQ3
- Story Text: A bomb blast destroyed a monument to fallen soldiers of Bosnia's Muslim-dominated wartime army on Monday (January 14) in the southern town of Mostar, where divisions between ethnic Croats and Muslims still run deep.
Police said an "explosive device" had destroyed the lily-shaped monument in front of Mostar's city hall in the early hours of Monday morning and that investigations were ongoing.
"Investigation is in progress and at the moment we can only guess what kind of explosive was used and who the perpetrator was," said Srecko Bosnjak, spokesman for the Mostar police.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mario Brkic, said he expected leaders to condemn the attack.
"We expect leaders from all spheres of political and public life to react constructively and to condemn this attack as well as all other activities and statements which in Mostar and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina are used to rise tensions," said Brkic.
Home to around 70,000 people, Mostar saw heavy fighting during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.
Despite Western efforts to encourage reintegration, the town remains largely divided between Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) on the east bank of the Neretva river and Croats on the west, where the city hall is located.
No one was injured in the explosion.
The monument to the Bosnian army was built last year, next to a memorial in honour of Croat veterans of the conflict.
Post-war violence in Mostar has been largely confined to clashes between rival football fans, but political leaders continue to resist the efforts of Western overseers to unify the town.
Each community has its own utility services, electricity provider and education system.
Ethnic politicking has paralysed the town more than once, and in October last year Mostar was the only town in Bosnia where local elections were postponed due to a dispute over how to hold the vote. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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