Sunday's attack was the first on the EU since it took over Mostar in July for two years to reconstruct a city devastated in a year of fighting between separatist Bosnian Croats and the Moslem-led central government. Koschnick, a German, said he had received fresh assurances of safety for his mission from Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, patron of the Bosnian Croats, and new federation president Kresimir Zubak, a moderate Croat. That's why I'm determined to stay in Mostar until I finish the job for which i've come here. But frankly, I know people are restless on both sides. The EU plans to set up a 200-strong multinational police force to help restore law and order in Mostar.
Many employers complain that youth seeking jobs are often unqualified.
France has said conscription will continue despite wide unpopularity. A poll published early this month showed that 85 percent of the French wanted an all-professional army like in the U.S. or Britain. He noted that alternatives to the armed forces included helping protect the environment or joining the police. Only those conscripts who volunteer participate in France's frequent military forays abroad, such as Rwanda or Bosnia. Most soldiers serving abroad are professionals.