[ALBSA-Info] EU lifts oil embargo on Yugoslavia

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

EU lifts oil embargo on Yugoslavia

By Ian Geoghegan

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Monday to lift a 
crippling oil embargo imposed against Yugoslavia over former President 
Slobodan Milosevic's bloody crackdown on ethnic Albanians in the Serb 
province of Kosovo. 

EU foreign ministers agreed to end the oil blockade and lift a theoretical 
flight ban, but said two other sanctions -- financial restrictions and a visa 
ban -- would only be eased progressively because the EU did not want to help 
those who backed Milosevic's government. 

``All the ministers agreed to lift the sanctions,'' German Foreign Minister 
Joschka Fischer told reporters as he left the talks early. 

An international arms embargo will stay in place because it was imposed not 
by the EU, but by the United Nations. 

Milosevic conceded defeat on Friday after massive protests backing the 
opposition's insistence that its candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, had won the 
September 24 presidential vote outright. Kostunica was sworn in as president 
at the weekend. 

EU TO MOVE QUICKLY 

The EU's top foreign policy official Javier Solana said the 15-nation bloc 
had to move quickly to send a signal to the newly democratic Yugoslavia. 

``We have to help the people of Serbia as soon as possible,'' he told 
reporters earlier. 

Fischer said there was an acute and urgent need for financial aid in 
Yugoslavia to pay for reconstruction and infrastructural projects. 

``We have waited long enough for democracy to prevail in Belgrade. We should 
not hesitate now, but intensify aid at all levels,'' he said. 

But Fischer cautioned against rushing to ease all sanctions, noting that no 
one wanted to unfreeze Milosevic's bank account. 

Ministers are also aware that Milosevic is still free in Yugoslavia and has 
pledged to stay on the political stage. 

The lifting of EU sanctions had previously been linked to having Milosevic 
transferred to a U.N. court in The Hague to face charges for alleged war 
crimes against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, but this has been quietly shelved, 
for now. 

``Without justice there can be no reconciliation in Yugoslavia and without 
reconciliation there can be no peace,'' Fischer said. 

``But Milosevic is not our first priority. First they (Yugoslavs) have to 
consolidate democracy, but justice will prevail, I have no doubt.'' 

Among a raft of possible financial assistance, ministers said the EU would 
study ways to quickly reopen the key Danube River which has been blocked by 
tonnes of debris from NATO's 78-day aerial bombardment of Yugoslavia last 
year. 

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed earlier this year 
that the bloc set aside 2.3 billion euros ($2 billion) in aid for the 
2000-2006 period in the event of Milosevic's downfall. 

``We will send a technical team to Yugoslavia to assess exactly what is 
needed,'' one EU official said. 

SUMMARY OF SANCTIONS 

Oil embargo. Deliveries could flow again in a few days after the decision is 
published in the EU's Official Journal. 

Flight ban. The EU has already suspended the ban. Belgrade airport says 
several airlines -- including British Airways, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, 
Swissair and Aeroflot -- have been flying in and out of Yugoslavia for 
months. 

Financial sanctions. A decision to lift or amend the sanctions, including an 
asset freeze, could take several weeks because they have targeted Milosevic's 
allies. 

Visa ban. Lifting the visa ban for top officials and business executives is 
tricky for the same reason. ``We do not want to see these people (Milosevic's 
backers) as tourists or refugees in the EU,'' one official said.