October 9, 2000
EU foreign ministers lifted key sanctions against Serbia Monday but kept those that directly target ousted Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.
Here is a summary of the sanctions which only applied to Yugoslavia's dominant republic of Serbia after smaller Montenegro aligned itself with the West in 1999 and Kosovo was put under UN administration.
EUROPEAN UNION
In protest against a Serbian military crackdown on Kosovo Albanian separatists, the EU decided on September 7, 1998 to BAN FLIGHTS into EU airports by the Yugoslav airline JAT.
The air embargo was extended on May 21, 1999 to include EU carriers flying into Yugoslavia. This condition was dropped on February 14, with Greece's Olympic Airways the first to resume service to Belgrade.
On April 23, 1999 the EU approved an EXPORT BAN ON OIL SALES to Yugoslavia and on all activities that directly or indirectly encourage such sales. The embargo is applicable to all residents of the 15 EU member states plus ships and aircraft. The European Union however kept up a "Energy for Democracy" program whereby truckloads of fuel were delivered to opposition-run Serbian cities.
Other sanctions include a June 1998 FREEZE ON ASSETS held by the Belgrade government in EU member states, and on EU investments in Serbia. This freeze was extended on April 26, 1999 to individuals associated with president Slobodan Milosevic and companies controlled or actions on behalf of the Yugoslav federation or Serbia.
Bans on export credits were also extended to the private sector, to European investments in Yugoslavia, and the supply of all goods and services to the Milosevic regime.
Beefing up sanctions in April 26, 1999 the EU imposed a BAN ON VISAS to Milosevic, his family and a list of Yugoslav officials -- a list that was extended this year to include several hundred names.
Since February 1996 the EU has maintained an ARMS EMBARGO against Yugoslavia.
On September 6, 1999 the EU exempted Montenegro and UN-administered Kosovo from the sanctions.
Earlier this year the EU revised its commercial sanctions: instead of drawing up a "black list" of companies barred from trading with the EU, it set out a list of companies deemed to be independent from the regime.
UNITED NATIONS
An ARMS EMBARGO against Belgrade, aimed at forcing Yugoslavia to open a dialogue with Kosovo Alabanians, was adopted March 31, 1998 by the UN Security Council in its resolution 1160.
It was the first UN sanction against Yugoslavia since the organization lifted all sanctions against Belgrade in October 1996 following the Dayton peace accords which halted the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.
UNITED STATES
The United States has blocked Yugoslavia's access to World Bank and International Monetary Fund credits as part of its mainly ECONOMIC SANCTIONS against Belgrade.
Measures imposed by Washington on May 1, 1999 also included a ban on trade with Serbia, including oil products.
