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Clinton Names Richard Sklar as Civilian Representative in Bosnia WASHINGTON (From wire service reports) -- President Clinton Wednesday named Richard Sklar, a construction industry executive, to serve as his representative to carry out civilian development in Bosnia as part of the U.S.-brokered peace accords. "The people in Bosnia have got to see that peace is something different than the absence of shooting, and that's what we're going to set about trying to do," Sklar said at the White House. In a statement read by White House spokesman Mike McCurry, Clinton said the appointment underscored that "we must give high priority now to making the peace irreversible by accelerating efforts to rebuild and political and economic fabric of Bosnian society." The selection of Sklar was seen as a way of dealing with a lack of confidence by Washington in Carl Bildt, the international community's representative who last November was given primary responsibility for implementing civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Accord. Sklar will be the senior U.S. official for coordinating the work of all U.S. civilian agencies involved in the reconstruction effort. The United States has pledged $200 million in 1996 for Bosnia, part of a three-year commitment of about $600 million. His responsibilities will encompass humanitarian assistance, economic revitalization, resettlement of refugees, the conduct of elections and the strengthening of public security. Sklar has been president and chief executive officer of O’Brien-Kreitzberg Inc. of San Francisco, which manages more than 100 major construction projects in the United States and abroad, from airports and rail systems to facilities for the Atlanta Olympics.

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