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.”*
