Serious economic problems of some member states or states whose parliaments enjoy special guest status arising from the implementation of the United Nations sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro

12 May 1993

Doc. 6832

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

on the serious economic problems of some member states

or states whose parliaments enjoy special guest status

arising from the implementation of the United Nations

sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro

presented by Mr PANOV and others

1. On 26 April 1993 the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 820 (1993) regarding the strengthening of existing trade and economic sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) came into effect.

2. The Assembly considers that tightening the sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) is a very important and effective peaceful means for putting an end to the bloody conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It expresses its full support for the new measures introduced under Resolution 820 (1993) and calls on all member states to strictly observe the embargo against Serbia and Montenegro.

3. The Assembly reaffirms its determination expressed in Resolution 994 (1993) to exclude national delegations of member states or states whose parliaments enjoy special guest status, if these states are proven to have violated the embargo against Serbia and Montenegro.

4. The Assembly takes note of the information provided by some member states or states whose parliaments enjoy special guest status, in particular by some neighbouring Serbia and Montenegro, on the losses that they have incurred so far as a result of the strict implementation of United Nations Resolutions 713 (1991), 757 (1992) and 787 (1993) and on the expected losses of those countries as a result of the implementation of the new measures.

5. The Assembly expresses concern at the special economic problems confronting those countries as a consequence of the disruption of traditional exportation links to European and Middle Eastern markets.

6. The Assembly recognises that the cumulative effect of the strict implementation of the respective United Nations Security Council resolutions will have grave consequences for the social and economic development of those of the above-mentioned countries which are in a period of transition to a market economy and a civil society.

7. Accordingly, the Assembly:

i. commends the governments of the above-mentioned countries for the measures they have taken so far to implement United Nations sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), in spite of the economic losses they have suffered;

ii. recognises the urgent need to assist these countries in coping with their special economic problems resulting from the actual severance of the economic links among European countries and between them and the Middle East;

iii. appeals to all member states of the Council of Europe on an urgent basis to provide immediate technical, financial and material assistance to these countries to mitigate the adverse impact on their economy of the application of United Nations sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro);

iv. invites the international financial institutions and the regional development banks to review their programmes of assistance to these countries with a view to alleviating the present economic hardships arising from the application of United Nations sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro);

v. appeals to the European countries ─ members of the United Nations Committee on Sanctions to insist that the Committee should review, alongside with the standard procedures for compensation for losses incurred by the sanctions, alternative measures for alleviating the economic problems of the most seriously affected countries.

Signed: Panov, Loutfi, Bokov, Toshev, Ruffy, Bloetzer, Verbeek, Fischer, Reddemann, Gotzev, Muehlemann, Haller, Tarschys, Espersen, Pangalos, Szent-Ivanyi, Guenov.