Pressenza Pressenza International Press Agency Sarajevo, 04/11/09 The World March reached Sarajevo yesterday afternoon after a tour that has taken it from Turkey to Greece, FYROM - Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. The World March Bus entered the city, the host city of the 1984 Winter Olympics, together with former Professional Cruiserweight Boxing World Champion Mensur Peljto who is a son of Bosnia-Herzegovina and national hero who has accompanied the March from Istanbul as he declared, “Welcome to the most beautiful city in the World!”
An evening reception was held at the Dom Mladih Skenderija concert arena where gifts were exchanged with the city Mayor, Alija Behmen and a programme of entertainment was laid on to celebrate the March.
Speaking at the start of the March the following morning, Željko Komšić, Chairman of the rotating Presidency, said, “Bosnia-Herzegovina couldn’t miss out on this occasion for peace and nonviolence which is not only for the Balkans but for the whole world.”
In an exclusive interview for Pressenza, Komšić said, “I represent the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina and definitely it’s my duty to be here and to support good intention.”
When asked if it’s hard today to spread and develop the themes of peace and nonviolence, especially among young people, he replied. “I could agree with you, but you know I’m a politician. Maybe I’m too rough to talk about fine stuff, but at the same time, I’m an ordinary man and of course I support this activity as an ordinary man and as a politician too.”
He passed on his greetings to all those involved with the World March, bidding farewell by saying, “I encourage you to continue with this activity, to promote peace and peaceful coexistence and I wish you all the best.”
Giorgio Schultze, European Spokesperson for the World March, spoke enthusiastically of the events in Sarajevo, telling Pressenza, “Sarajevo could be one of the future capital cities of the Universal Human Nation, it has a rich mixture of cultures, a long history and although it is clear that there is still a way to go, it is learning to overcome and integrate a painful and violent past in a way that can be a model for other places.”
