Graz, Austria; 11 November 1996 (RFE/RL) -- Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovich is appealing for the early holding of a world donor's conference to speed reconstruction in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Muratovich told RFE/RL Saturday that he had issued the appeal during closed-door summit-level talks in Graz, Austria, where Bosnia is for the first time taking part in the Central European Initiative's (CEI) annual summit. Muratovic said international representative Carl Bildt has been calling for a delay in the world donor's conference for Bosnia, currently scheduled for January, but Muratovic said "the sooner the better."
Muratovich said following his appeal that he thinks Bosnia will get acceptance for the conference in January. Muratovich told our correspondent that the situation on the ground, with only 50 percent of reconstruction donations being implemented, reflects the need for an early meeting.
The CEI was founded in 1989 to bridge the then existing political and ideological barriers in Europe, with special emphasis on economic cooperation.