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Portuguese Barroso, who certainly is well acquainted with the situation in Mostar - his country also contributes a number of policemen for the WEU contingent under command of colonel Ian Mayvogel from the Netherlands - did not without a reason state that the final solution for the situation in Mostar will have to be postponed for a while. In addition to that he probably first hand obtained from the european administrator the information about the fundamental problems slowing down the europeanization of the city. Besides, his other statement, that the solution for Mostar is directly connected woth the resolution for Bosnia and Herzegovina, clearly shows the core of the problem and how (un)solvable (and how quickly) it is.
Observation that Mostar is not and cannot be isolated from the other developments in the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been heard several times so far and is certainly correct. However it is also an undeniable fact that it is a kind of an enchanted circle which continuously poses new problems. That, on the other hand, returns (or at least threatens to do so!) the things to the beginning of the story ( instead of directing them towards the final resolution).
The danger of return to the previous situation is the main reason for the slowness of the whole process, actually the emphasis of the Croatian side - which has recently been more and more accepted by the european administrator - on the step by step approach without hasty excursions into unknown. Muslim-Bosnic side in Mostar, however, does not seem to be able to accept such approach. It has again begun to proclaim every step as insufficiently productive or even opposite to the goals stated in the Memorandum of Understanding and the Constitution of the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They [the Muslims] are unexpectedly, without any reasons or explanations, in a hurry. What is really unacceptable is that they keep recalling Mostar from the time of the past regime, brotherhood and unity and similar concepts which, apparently, even the war could not have destroyed.
On the Croatian side nobody is denying the fact that the Croats and the Muslim-Bosniacs will have to live next to each other in Mostar; however they will never live with each other in broderhood and unity. This is the reality and if someone refuses to accept it, then they are obviously in denial, which, unfortunately, cannot bring about anything good.
Muslim-Bosniac side, it was clear at the latest press conference in the headquarters of the EU city administration in the hotel ``Ero", is (un)justifiably not satisfied with many things. Besides the constant pressure on Kaschnick regarding the (dis)united city, they continue to persistently and stubbornly insist on some details which are not controversial and should have already been solved. For example, Muslim-Bosniac side is bothered by the new names of the streets in the western part of the city. The changing of street names was approved by the european city functionaries, who understood the necessity for change of the street names from the previous communist system, which offended the sensibilities of the citizens of Mostar.
What can we say about other complaints regarding apartments, freedom of movement and similar? Insolence shown by the Muslim-Bosniac side in the latest appearances surprised even Koschnick; not to mention the perfidious attempt at provocation of the mayor of western Mostar, Mijo Brajkovic, when the representatives of the Jewish community were drawn into the plot. Celebration of the establishment of the city public transportation turned into some kind of a public trial to the european city administration as well as the Croatian side for everything (not) accomplished in Mostar so far, during which Muslim-Bosniacs continuously emphasized alleged endangered status due to the establishment of new barriers in ``our Mostar"
European Mayor Koschnick, speaking about the establishment of seven bus lines in Mostar and the necessity of a step by step approach to new initiatives, used as the main proof of the success of his mission everything achieved so far (in Mostar). In order to understand Koschnick it is enough to recall the situation from a few months ago.
It is impossible to ignore the fact that after all a lot of what has been achieved is positive. The Muslim side refusal to accept this as a relevant fact and reality is nothing but the opposition to the progress of the city. In other words opposition to everything not agreeing with their views and wishes for return to the situation ``as before".
Even the establishment of seven bus lines Muslim-Bosniacs viewed as another attempt at the division of the city; mayor of eastern Mostar, Safet Orucevic, deliberatly refused to attend the promotion in hotel ``Ero". Koschnick explained that the current political situation (temporary) allows only for the separate organization of the trnsportation in the two parts of the city, and that this will be one company with two agencies in western and eastern Mostar, was not accepted by the Muslim-Bosniacs; it was followed by the avallanche of atacks on Hans Koschnick and Mijo Brajkovic. Also the agreement on freedom of movement for physicians and sick persons does not present progress according to Muslim-Bosniacs since before the war this was not a problem and is a natural state of things anyway (!?).
Koschnick's elaboration of the developments in Mostar and comparison with the situation in Sarajevo and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina also were not received well by the eastern Mostar representatives. they remained stubbornly fixated on their vision of Mostar as a unified city organized ``as before". It is not necessary to explain how far from the reality that vision is.
But...
Unlike Portuguese foreign minister Barroso, the mayor of western Mostar, Mijo Brajkovic, said that it would be necessary ``to find the political solution for Mostar very quickly." The above mentioned examples, some of which are banal and should not be as controversial as the Muslim-Bosniac side tries to make them, dangerously threten to return the situation to the beginning; therefore it is necessary - as Brajkovic warned - to react as quickly as possible (again, while following the step by step approach) in order to achieve (temporary) compromise between the two interested sides. Good will, which is necessary for that has unfortunately recently been absent from the Muslim-Bosniac side. Since, as it should finally be clear to everyone, Mostar will never be ``as before".