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| Europe |
| Mostar Bridge Reopens, Decade After War Destruction |
| 2004-07-24 |
| The Bosnian city of Mostar Friday joyfully unveiled its rebuilt 16th-century bridge, almost 11 years after its destruction in war became a symbol of the conflicts that tore the former Yugoslavia apart. The new "Stari Most" (Old Bridge) over the Neretva River, which separates the mainly Muslim and mainly Croat sides of Mostar and a front line during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, was inaugurated at a spectacular ceremony with a guest list of international dignitaries. Fireworks lit up the sky high above the elegant single-span arch and nine of Mostar's legendary divers, brandishing torches, leapt into the green rushing waters of the Neretva from the bridge packed with children singing an anti-war song. "I think this is a new beginning, that's what citizens have been telling me too. You can feel a special atmosphere all over," Mostar's Muslim mayor, Hamdija Jahic, told Reuters earlier Friday. More than 2,000 people took part in the evening ceremony, including Bosnian folk dancers, child choirs and brass bands from both sides of the divided town as well as leading Bosnian musicians and singers. Hundreds of Mostar citizens and tourists watched the celebrations, perched in houses and cafes around the bridge. Thousands then flooded the Old Town, eager to take a walk across the bridge. "This feeling is hard to describe. I spent my childhood, my youth, my whole life here. I just hope other things in Mostar will soon look more like they were before," said Amela Hadrovic, a 38-year-old ethnic Muslim office worker, after crossing over. |
| Posted by:Zenster |