Conclusions on Implementation of Existing Sanctions, International Conference on Yugoslavia (The London Conference)

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Country/entity: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yugoslavia (former)
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Conclusions on Implementation of Existing Sanctions, International Conference on Yugoslavia (The London Conference)
Date: 27 Aug 1992
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Interstate/intrastate conflict(s)
Balkan Conflicts (1991 - 1995) (1998 - 2001)
Former Yugoslavia

The disintegration of former Yugoslavia post cold war saw conflicts which became mediated and produced peace agreements in Slovenia (where the brief independence conflict was mediated by the EC Troika in 1991), Croatia (between Croatian and Serb populations 1991-1995), in Bosnia (between Croatian, Serb and Bosniak populations 1992-1995), in Macedonia (where mediation played a key pre-emptive role in preventing large scale conflict in 2001), in Kosovo (between Kosovar Albanians and Serbian population and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), but also between FRY and NATO, 1998-1999), and a conflict in the Presevo Valley (between Albanians in South Serbia and FRY, 2000-2001). The continued fall-out of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia also saw mediated agreement and ultimate dissolution of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

In 1991, after nationalist parties won the first multi-party elections in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a violent process of disintegration commenced. With its mixed population, Bosnia-Herzegovina became the centre of the following civil war that began in 1992 between the newly formed army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly Muslim Bosniacs), and the parastatal forces of self-declared Bosnian Croat (Herzeg-Bosnia) and Bosnian Serb (Republika Srpska) entities within Bosnia-Herzegovina, supported by Croatia and Serbia, with various, often short-lived, coalitions. The General Framework Agreement (Dayton Peace Agreement), signed in 1995, split the country into two ethno-federal entities, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Republika Srpska, and included continued peacekeeping and institutional administration by international actors.

Kosovo

The conflict between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians has a long history and always involved territorial disputes as well as ethno-political, cultural and linguistic factors. The most recent phase of the conflict began in November 1997 when the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA or UCK) began their campaign for the independence of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY – then Serbia and Montenegro). The subsequent war lasted until the NATO intervention, which undertook bombing campaigns of Belgrade and other places in Serbia during spring 1999. The main agreements solving the conflict were internationally driven and, finally, a UNSC resolution imposed a post-conflict arrangement in the wake of what was essentially a NATO military victory. In February 2008, Kosovo’s parliament declared independence, but independence is still internationally disputed.
Stage: Implementation/renegotiation
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Bosnia peace process
Parties: This was convened by Great Britain, which held the presidency of the EC at the time. The Participants were: The SFRY republics, the EC countries, the USA, China, Russia, Japan, Canada, The Republic of Czechoslovakia (as a state which held the presidency of CSCE – Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the neighboring countries: Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania
Third parties: -
Description: This conference document discusses measures to enforce existing sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro, compliance with UNSCR 757, enforcement by neighbouring states, unauthorised transfers of assets, and strengthening the legal framework.

Agreement document: BA_920827_Conclusions on Implementation of Existing Sanctions.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: Page 2, The Danube, 6.
The Conference calls upon the riparian countries to prevent sanctions being broken or circumvented by trade along the Danube. Individual Conference countries will provide expertise, technical assistance and equipment to the governments concerned to help with enforcement.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: Page 2, The Danube, 5.
The Conference notes that Article 103 of the UN Charter obliges the riparian states of the Danube to do whatever is necessary, including the stopping and searching of vessels, to prevent the use of the River Danube for the purposes of circumventing or breaking the sanctions imposed in UNSCR Resolutions 713 and 757, notwithstanding the provisions of the Belgrade Convention.

Page 2, The Danube, 6.
The Conference calls upon the riparian countries to prevent sanctions being broken or circumvented by trade along the Danube. Individual Conference countries will provide expertise, technical assistance and equipment to the governments concerned to help with enforcement.

Page 2, Strengthening the legal framework, 9.
The Conference invites the Security Council to take such further measures as may be necessary to ensure the full implementation of UNSCRs 713 and 757. Existing sanctions are possibly being breached by maritime traffic in the Adriatic Sea. The Security council is therefore invited to consider further measures to ensure rigorous implementation of sanctions in the Adriatic.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: Page 2, Transit traffic, 8.
Illegal diversion of goods in transit across Serbia and Montenegro is taking place. The Conference calls on the authorities of bordering countries to do all they can to prevent this diversion and to report violations to the UN Sanctions committee. The Conference also invites the UN Security Council to ask the Sanctions Committee to define more precisely its guidelines on the subject of transit traffic.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: UN Secretary-General was co-chairman of the International Conference on Former Yugoslavia
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: International Conference the Former Yugoslavia: Documents Adopted at the London Conference, International Legal Materials, Vol. 31, No. 6 (NOVEMBER 1992), pp. 1541-42

27 August 1992

CONCLUSIONS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF EXISTING SANCTIONS

1. The London conference welcomes the steps taken by the international community to implement United Nations Security council Resolutions 713 and 757 imposing mandatory sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro, but regrets that there remain gaps in implementation.

The following proposals deal with the gaps identified so far.

Compliance with UNSCR 757:

need for enforcement

2. The Conference notes that many countries are cooperating with the UN Sanctions Committee but is concerned that compliance remains incomplete.

The Conference calls on all governments forthwith to comply fully with the requirements of UNSCR 757.

All governments should respond to the appeal issued by the UN Sanctions Committee for information regarding violations of the sanctions regime.

3. The Conference recommends that the Security Council should consider any requests made to it under Article 50 of the UN Charter by any state which considers that it is confronted by special economic problems arising from carrying out the requirements of UNSCR 757.

Enforcement of sanctions by neighbouring states

4. Neighbouring states are encountering practical problems in the enforcement of sanctions.

The Conference notes with approval the fact that the Romanian government invited experts to give advice on ways of overcoming difficulties in the application of sanctions and that officials from a number of Conference countries will shortly go to Romania to help the Romanian authorities with enforcement.

Further missions are currently visiting Hungary and Bulgaria with the same purpose.

The Conference looks forward to similar missions taking place to all other neighbouring countries, and welcomes the offer of assistance by the conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to these countries.

It also welcomes the intention to establish monitoring missions from representatives of individual Conference countries to assist in the implementation of sanctions in neighouring countries.

The Conference invites the European Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to coordinate these activities.

The Danube

5. The Conference notes that Article 103 of the UN Charter obliges the riparian states of the Danube to do whatever is necessary, including the stopping and searching of vessels, to prevent the use of the River Danube for the purposes of circumventing or breaking the sanctions imposed in UNSCR Resolutions 713 and 757, notwithstanding the provisions of the Belgrade Convention.

6. The Conference calls upon the riparian countries to prevent sanctions being broken or circumvented by trade along the Danube.

Individual Conference countries will provide expertise, technical assistance and equipment to the governments concerned to help with enforcement.

Unauthorised transfers of Serbian and Montenegrin assets

7. The Conference is concerned that financial transfers for the benefit of Serbia and Montenegro in breach of UNSCR 757 are taking place.

The Conference countries reaffirm their commitment to prevent such transfers and call on other states to do the same.

The conference invites the UN Sanctions Committee to consider whether its guidelines need to be tightened for this purpose.

Transit traffic

8. Illegal diversion of goods in transit across Serbia and Montenegro is taking place.

The Conference calls on the authorities of bordering countries to do all they can to prevent this diversion and to report violations to the UN Sanctions committee.

The Conference also invites the UN Security Council to ask the Sanctions Committee to define more precisely its guidelines on the subject of transit traffic.

Strengthening the legal framework

9. The Conference invites the Security Council to take such further measures as may be necessary to ensure the full implementation of UNSCRs 713 and 757.

Existing sanctions are possibly being breached by maritime traffic in the Adriatic Sea.

The Security council is therefore invited to consider further measures to ensure rigorous implementation of sanctions in the Adriatic.

Follow up to the Conference

10. The Conference agrees that member states of the European Community and of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe will keep the UN Sanctions Committee informed on a regular basis about the action they have committed themselves to take to enforce sanctions rigorously, including any problems that may be encountered.

In addition, as part of the follow-up to the Conference, the Representatives of the co-Chairmen on the Steering Committee will take action necessary to remedy defects in enforcement and generally to ensure rigorous application of sanctions in accordance with SCR 757.