New Bosnian number plates introduced

The authorities in Bosnia-Hercegovina are introducing a unified system of vehicle number plates from today.

The common format will make it impossible to tell whether the vehicle comes from the Bosnian Serb republic or the Muslim Croat federation.

International officials hope the new plates will encourage movement across the old lines of conflict and increase confidence in the peace process.

The BBC correspondent in Sarajevo says the new plates, together with a common currency and a new flag, are seen as crucial symbols of statehood, as laid down in the Dayton peace accords.

The move coincides with the visit to Bosnia of the British minister for International Development, Clare Short, who is expected to make an offer of financial aid.

She is due to meet the Bosnian Serb president Biljana Plavsic today and the new Bosnian Serb prime minister, Milorad Dodik, on Tuesday.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service