Jo Lomas, British Embassy Sarajevo Chargé d’Affaires a.i., paid a visit to Mostar today where she met Dr Dragan Čović, HDZ BiH President, Dr Zijad Hadžiomerović, President of SDA Mostar City Board, and Aner Žuljević, President of the SDP Herzegovina-Neretva Cantonal Board. In these meetings she spoke about the detrimental political and economic effects on Mostar caused by the lack of a City Council.
“This city has been without a city council for almost two years. This represents not only a serious problem for democracy. It is also having a detrimental effect on the climate for investment in Mostar. Lack of political compromise means damage to the economic development of this city and fewer opportunities and jobs for young people. Many important projects, worth million of Euros, are on hold because there is no elected legislature to take important decision,” said Jo Lomas.
Jo Lomas also met representatives of the Mostar Plenum. She reiterated that the UK Government supports the democratic right of citizens to peaceful protest and understands many of the frustrations they are expressing.
“Citizens’ legitimate right to protest against government incompetence is being undermined by politicians on both sides of the river. The protests we have seen in Mostar and across BiH are about social and economic injustice and are not the complaints of just one ethnic group. Citizens in Mostar have more reason to complain about their (non) governance than in any other city. Because of politicians’ failure to find compromise, there is no City Council, and the Cantonal Government refused to meet for six months. It is time that political leaders start prioritizing the real needs of their electorate,” said Jo Lomas.
