NEWS RELEASES
AXWORTHY STRENGTHENS SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
April 30, 1999 (6:30 p.m. EDT) No. 95
AXWORTHY STRENGTHENS SANCTIONS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy announced today that additional Canadian sanctions are being imposed
on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which will permit Canada to prohibit sales of all goods.
Yugoslavia will be added to the Area Control List under the Export and Import Permits Act. Canada has long
denied military goods to Yugoslavia. By now placing it on the Area Control List, all exports from Canada to
Yugoslavia will require a permit.
"Canada's objectives are clear. We wish, in concert with our NATO allies, to stop the campaign of terror and
ethnic cleansing, and to bring about a settlement in Kosovo that will include the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces
from the province, the establishment of an international military presence, the safe return of refugees to
Kosovo, and the implementation of a political framework for the autonomy of Kosovo," said Mr. Axworthy. "The
Controls announced today will help us to achieve these ends by denying any and all Canadian goods to the
Yugoslav war machine."
Canada has already imposed extensive economic measures against Yugoslavia to implement multilateral
sanctions decisions. The United Nations Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Regulations continue to enforce the
freeze of assets of the former Yugoslavia, mandated by the United Nations Security Council, pending
agreement by the various successor states on the division of those assets. These Regulations also implement
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1160 (1998), which prohibits the sale or supply of arms and related
material to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Pursuant to the May 1998 decision by the G-8 Foreign
Ministers, the Special Economic Measures (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) Regulations impose a freeze on
the assets of the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and of Serbia and a ban on investments in
Serbia.
In addition to these regulatory measures, Mr. Axworthy announced on March 9, 1998, other measures,
including:
- instructing Export Development Corporation of Canada (EDC) to suspend consideration of export credits for
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until further notice;
- suspending discussions with Yugoslav Airlines-JAT concerning charter landing rights in Canada; and
- putting on hold until further notice discussions regarding other bilateral agreements.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Debora Brown
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
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