Broken buildings and broken roads could be mended, but the biggest problem was broken hearts, the President, Mrs McAleese, told Irish SFOR troops here yesterday.
It was the first day of her visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. She leaves for the Middle East on Monday.
Accompanied by her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, and the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, the President was met on arrival at Sarajevo Airport by the Ambassador, Mr Bernard Davenport, Lieut-Gen Colm Mangan, the Chief of Staff, and Irish military personnel.
At Camp Butmir, the SFOR headquarters in Sarajevo, she told the 41 Irish military police and their Spanish and Italian colleagues that they had to get hearts to mend and it was important to create space to allow trust and healing.
The Irish contingent at Camp Butmir is part of the 20,000strong stabilisation force.
She later visited the Serb, Croat and Bosnian Muslim chairs of the presidency in Sarajevo.