THE OHR WELCOMES THE EU COUNCIL
DECISION

The OHR welcomes the decision by the EU Council yesterday to extend the asset
freeze to a further 18 ICTY indicted war criminals. It is another measure which
will restrict the space in which those who are avoiding justice can operate.

The OHR hopes that the BiH Institutions will, as earlier, declare their
support for this action and without delay freeze the assets of the eighteen
individuals named by the EU.

The OHR also points to the urgent need for the BiH authorities to implement
their earlier announced intention to block the assets of Mladic and Karadzic. It
is absolutely essential for the BiH authorities to show they are serious on ICTY
co-operation.

We will release a press release on this later today.

BIH EXPORTS SHOW SIGNIFICANT RISE

The OHR’s monthly economic report comes out today. I have brought along
copies. As you know, the report tracks key economic indicators and identifies
trends in the economy.

The significant positive news in this month’s report is
that BiH exports rose during September by 21.1 percent. This reflects an
economic performance which may be characterized as “modest but robust”, and it
may also show that BiH manufacturers are starting to reap the benefits of the
Free Trade Agreements that have been negotiated between BiH and other countries
in

Southeast Europe. However, although
exports are rising, the trade deficit remains serious, with imports in September
worth 1,025,969 KM compared to exports of 286,869 KM, a difference of more than
three to one.