Olympic bid helping Bosnia heal

Sarajevo's Olympic symbols were damaged in the war

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- The war in Bosnia ended more than six years ago, and the international community is still working on bridging the gap between the different ethnic communities.

While there is still a feeling of mistrust -- especially among the older generations -- there has also been substantial progress in many parts of Bosnia and the capital Sarajevo.

One sign of progress is Sarajevo's official bid to host another Winter Olympics in 2010.

The city hosted the Winter Games in 1984, and organisers say the new bid is the one project endorsed with enthusiasm by all ethnic communities here -- and one that would bring them closer together.

Structurally, much of Sarajevo has been rebuilt. While scars of war are still evident -- shrapnel-pocket walls and ruined buildings are a reminder of what happened here -- at times the new and old stand next to each other in dramatic contrast.

VIDEO War-ravaged Sarajevo show signs of progress towards harmony (March 8) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

But rebuilding structures is the easy part, says Cedo Palinic, a Croat teacher living in a Muslim-dominated area of Sarajevo. What is hard now, he says, is to rebuild trust among the people.

"Our Serb neighbours used to pass here every day to go downtown. They don't do it anymore," he says.

"Even if there is peace now they avoid coming here. And our people as well, they are not afraid but they avoid areas where mainly Serbs live."

It will take time to overcome these feelings. Sarajevo today still struggles to regain its historical multiethnic tolerance.

The city remains pretty much divided between a Serb-dominated area and one in which mainly Muslims and Croats live -- a situation reflected in the rest of the country.

"The war has destroyed so much that it is now very difficult to get people together again. This will take generations. We need to keep this in mind," says Wolfgang Petritsch, High Representative for Bosnia.

"What is achievable now, it's sort of a tacit agreement: OK let's try. And this feeling is really growing."

In Sarajevo's city centre, that feeling is palpable, especially among younger generations.

"Even if I lost my parents in the war," says Edin, "I have forgotten. We have to live together, we cannot live without each other."