[Marxism] US Hits Serbia With Crushing New Sanctions Regime

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Rick Rozoff wrote:



http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?order=priority


B92 (Serbia and Montenegro)
January 14, 2004


US applies new sanctions regime



WASHINGTON - Washington has suspended aid to Serbia
for 2005, withdrawn a number of personnel stationed in
Belgrade and refused landing rights for JAT Airways in
the US.

The US ambassador in Belgrade, Michael Polt, told
journalists that the new sanctions were a direct
consequence of the Serbian Government?s lack of
cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

US consultants in Serbian ministries will be
withdrawn, which will have an effect on reform of the
tax and economic systems.  All support for the
national carrier, JAT Airways, has been stopped,
including the possibility of direct flights to the US.


?We will be forced to withdraw US technical advisors
from ministries.  The cut in assistance will impact on
US support for tax reform, the presence of Serbia in
the World Trade Organisation, on political and
economic reforms, which are needed to attract more
foreign investors, and assistance for JAT will be
stopped, and of course the possibility of JAT flying
directly to the United States.

?Because of the reduced assistance, some of our
American colleagues and there families will be asked
to leave Serbia and return to America.  Unfortunately,
all this may have a negative impact on the confidence
of international investors,? said Polt.

The ambassador said the decision to freeze US aid
could be changed very quickly if the Serbian
Government were to meet its obligations fully and
unconditionally and arrest all indicted war crime
suspects and hand them over to the Hague Tribunal.

?It can?t be some cooperation or partial cooperation,
full cooperation over all indictees is needed,? he
said.

The US Administration again repeated its assertion
that former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic
is in Serbia and that it is up to the Serbian
authorities to locate him and extradite him to the
Hague Tribunal.
....
?Nothing without The Hague?

The US State Department had early announced that
assistance to Belgrade was suspended.

?In accordance with the regulations of the law on
foreign assistance for 2005, financial assistance to
the Serbian Government will be cut after May 31, 2005
unless the US secretary of state confirms that
Serbia-Montenegro has taken steps to cooperate with
the Hague Tribunal.

?Those steps include facilitating the work of
investigations, making documents available, handing
over indictees or assisting in their arrest and full
efforts to arrest and extradite Ratko Mladic,? said
the State Department in a statement.

The statement, signed by State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher, notes that Secretary of State Colin
Powell, in March 2004, refused to confirm to Congress
that Serbia-Montenegro was cooperating with the Hague
Tribunal, which resulted in the loss of a significant
part of US aid after March 31, 2004.

?Since the decision of the secretary last March,
there?s been no improvement in Serbia-Montenegro?s
cooperation with the tribunal.  In accordance with his
earlier conclusions, and in the light of the continued
lack of cooperation, Powell has decided not to approve
ten million dollars in aid for Serbia for the fiscal
year of 2005.  To that sum can be added a further
sixteen million dollars which is earmarked from the
budget for foreign aid for 2004.  We are reviewing
alternative ways of using these resources in
accordance with the goals of our policies,? said the
State Department.
....
Belgrade not surprised

Meanwhile, the government in Belgrade is not at all
surprised by the US government?s decision, stating
that the US has been threatening such a move for
several months now.
....
Former Finance Minister Bozidar Djelic said that this
move by the US is an ?old, familiar story? and said
that it shows that relations between Serbian and the
US are ?not as good as we claimed that we believed
them to be.?







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