Sarajevo and East Sarajevo should be completely landmine-free by 2020, the executive director of the Marshall Legacy Institute, Perry Baltimore, told N1 on Thursday.
Baltimore spoke about the “Mine-free Sarajevo 2020” project, which is financed by the US Government and which implies clearing more than eight million square metres of landmines in several municipalities in the capital.
RELATED NEWS
A landmine-free Sarajevo is very likely, according to Baltimore.
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind,” he said.
“Yes – the Mine-free Sarajevo project will be successfully completed by September 2020 and we’ll have a wonderful celebration. All Sarajevans will be able to walk safely throughout the city of Sarajevo and all the five municipalities that are involved in this project.”
The project is being implemented for years already, said Tomaz Lovrencic, the Director of ITF Enhancing Human Security – a non-profit humanitarian organisation established by Slovenia’s Government.
“It is important to maintain that focus, we are working with donors so that resources can be guaranteed in the future,” Lovrencic said, adding that support from the US is important for it.
“This job is difficult, slow and dangerous. We need to work towards both goals – not only to clear the landmines but also to avoid any accidents. Deminers have top quality training,” he said.
The project should influence other demining projects throughout the country, he said, explaining that it can be replicated elsewhere.
Baltimore and his organisation are, together with the US Government, already helping Bosnia clear its landmines for about 20 years.
“The United States Government has invested tremendous amounts of money in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the end of the war, over a hundred million dollars in humanitarian mine action and other kinds of activities like that. The donation for this particular project, for ‘Mine-free Sarajevo’, is the largest donation of its type in the last 10 years by the US Government,” said Baltimore.
“I am very proud of our government as well as private Americans who have been so supportive of this country for the last almost 20 years the Marshall Legacy Institute has been involved, children throughout the US have linked arms with children here in Bosnia and Herzegovina to make the country safer through landmine awareness and by helping children who have been hurt by the mines, it’s been a journey of joy for us,” he said.
He thanked the US Government for financing it and “making all this happen.”
The project also includes Istocno Sarajevo (East Sarajevo), the part of the city belonging to the Serb-majority semi-autonomous entity of Republika Srpska (RS).
“That is a message which has also been supported by Bosnia’s Council of Ministers. We expect an inflow of 35 million US Dollars each year so that the entire territory can be cleared. That method implies both sides to get engaged, both the Federation (Bosnia’s other entity) and Republika Srpska,” said Lovrencic.
“That is a positive step when it comes to the motivation of the donors,” he said, adding that he hopes people in other parts of the country will recognise it as a good method.
Around 3,000 square kilometres of Bosnia’s territory has been cleared since the end of the war in 1995. Another two percent of the territory of the country is designated as “suspicious.”
