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Japan Lifts Economic Sanctions Against Yugoslavia
Japan decided Friday to lift economic sanctions it has imposed on Yugoslavia for more than two years, Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said.
"Since the change of power in October in Yugoslavia, the administration under (President Vojislav) Kostunica has steadily brought the country back to the international community," Kono told a press conference.
Kono said the lifting of the sanctions is aimed at supporting Kostunica's efforts to democratize and open up Yugoslavia.
In June 1998, Japan banned investment from Japan to the Yugoslav republic of Serbia, froze the funds of the governments of Yugoslavia and Serbia in Japan and restricted the issuance of entry visas to Japan to high-ranking officials of the two governments.
The Japanese government imposed the sanctions due to continued conflicts in the Balkan region, particularly between ethnic Albanians and Serb forces in Kosovo.
In a related development, Japan resumed its official development assistance (ODA) to Yugoslavia in early December with a decision to provide 4.3 million dollars in emergency aid to help the country purchase fertilizer for its wheat crop.
Japan had suspended its ODA to Yugoslavia since November 1991.
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