[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000-2001, Book III)]
[October 12, 2000]
[Page 2166]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 2166]]


Statement on Action To Lift Sanctions Against Serbia
October 12, 2000

    Today I have directed the Department of the Treasury and the 
Department of State to take immediate steps to begin lifting the trade 
and financial sanctions imposed against Serbia in 1998, except those 
targeted against members of the former regime. This includes lifting the 
oil embargo and flight ban, which will be effective immediately.
    The victory of freedom in Serbia is one of the most hopeful 
developments in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It ended a 
dictatorship, and it can liberate an entire region from the nagging fear 
that ethnic differences will again be exploited to start wars and shift 
borders. Therefore, we have a strong interest in supporting Yugoslavia's 
newly elected leaders as they work to build a truly democratic society. 
Our disagreement was with the Milosevic 
regime, not the people of Serbia who have suffered under the regime's 
brutal policies.
    The removal of these sanctions is a first step to ending Serbia's 
isolation. It is within the scope of the sanctions-lifting measure 
announced Monday by the European Union (EU) ministers in Luxembourg, and 
we will move forward in coordination with the EU. We will also ensure 
that such measures do not allow those supporters of Milosevic to continue the systematic theft of resources that 
have marked the last 13 years. In that vein, we will continue to enforce 
a ban on travel to the United States by top members of the Milosevic 
regime and keep in place measures that help the new government deter a 
looting of the national patrimony during the current period of 
transition in Yugoslavia. We will also review our restrictions on 
Serbia's participation in international financial institutions as Serbia 
makes its democratic transition and meets its international obligations.
    There is still much work ahead for the Yugoslav people and their new 
government: restoring confidence in the rule of law, rebuilding an 
honest economy, accounting for the past while building a better future. 
Thankfully, that work can now begin--without the burden of isolation--
and with the friendship of the American people.