(12 Apr 1996) English/Nat
With peace in Bosnia now firmly established, its people are facing up to the mammoth task of rebuilding their shattered country.
A two day conference has opened in Brussels to find the money for reconstruction this year.
It's estimated that five (b) billion (U-S) dollars are needed to begin to piece the country back together.
Total war damage is put at 50 (b) billion dollars.
Roads, schools, telecommunications networks, and electricity webs - all ravaged by the war - will need major reconstruction.
Everywhere you look in Sarajevo it's impossible to escape the damage inflicted by four years of war.
The task of reconstruction is only just beginning.
With 600 (m) million (U-S) dollars already donated to the task of rebuilding Bosnia, officials need another 1.2 (b) billion dollars for this year alone.
The World Bank estimates it will take a total of five (b) billion dollars to begin to put the country back together.
Bosnia's Parliament building needs urgent repair and many of the city's trams lie rusting in sidings.
Many Bosnians still rely on aid handouts to survive and until Bosnian companies reopen there's little chance of finding work.
In addition to the civilian population another quarter of a (m) million Bosnian army soldiers will be demobilised over the next six months, creating further headaches for those trying to piece together the shattered economy.
But if the world community fails to come up with hard cash officials see a bleak outlook for the Bosnians.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We hope to get the economic resources to help Bosnians rebuild themselves. Without this money there will basically be very little action in the reconstruction effort of Bosnia."
SUPERCAPTION: Klas Bergman, World Bank spokesman
Although I-FOR soldiers have helped in the reconstruction of many small projects including Sarajevo's water supply there is still a long way to go in returning Sarajevo to its former state.
The scars of war will blight the Sarajevo landscape for many years to come.
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