CROATIA: BOSNIAN CROATS ATTACK EU OFFICIAL OVER DIVISION OF MOSTAR

(7 Feb 1996) German/Serbo-Croat Bosnian Croats have attacked a European Union official in protest against plans for dividing the city of Mostar. German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel reportedly telephoned Croatian president Franjo Tudjman about the incident. The tensions exploded after Hans Koshnick, the former mayor of Bremen, announced plans for a new political structure in the devastated city in southwestern Bosnia. The European Union administrator, Hans Koshnick, was brought in to break a deadlock over the future rule of Mostar after Muslims and Croats failed to agree on a plan. Koshnick, the former mayor of Bremen, decided Mostar would have six districts - three Muslim and three Croat - while the centre of the town would be neutral. Koshnick explained his plans Wednesday at a new conference. More than two-thousand angry Bosnian Croats, who reject Koshnick's plan, gathered outside a Mostar hotel that Koshnick uses for his office. When the news conference was over and the European Union officials wanted to leave, demonstrators blocked their cars and smashed windows. The Bosnian-Croats are afraid they'll lose territory under Koshnick's plan. The central zone - where Mostar's administrative offices would be located - contains more territory now controlled by Croats than territory now held by Muslims. But the Muslim part is more populated and Croats fear they may lose control over the entire zone. Koshnick shouted at the demonstrators to go away. The demonstrators started jumping on Koshnick's' car, an armoured BMW, and tried to flip it over. Some shots were fired. An E-U spokesman said some protesters were yelling, "He should be killed...He should be hanged", others burned E-U flags. Koshnick was not injured, and eventually managed to get away from the protesters. Croat municipal leaders said they were severing contact with the E-U and rejecting any further efforts by its mission to reunify the city. Mijo Brajkovic, the mayor of Western Mostar, made a statement after the events. He accused Koshnick of creating the 4th Muslim district in Mostar, in violation of the Dayton agreement, and ignoring Croat's complaints. SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat) "Ignoring and denying realistic and argumentative proposals of the Croatian side, creating some central zone, Mr. Koshnick and the European Community stood one side absolutely. The municipality council of Western Mostar considers that EU mission is definitely finished in Mostar by such an act, and that Mr. Koshnick divided the city in two by his decision. Municipality council of Mostar with a support of War's Victims' Society and of all people of Mostar declares here cancelling of all contacts with the European Community in Mostar. Thank you." SUPER CAPTION: Mijo Brajkovic, the mayor of Western Mostar A breakdown of diplomacy in Mostar, which is divided between Croats and Muslims, would seriously weaken a federation of Bosnian Croats and Muslims. Less than half an hour after the trouble began, French troops in armoured personnel carriers arrived and surrounded the EU building to protect it. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...