For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 29, 2003
Presidential Letter
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate
May 28, 2003
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Consistent with section 204(b) of the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b) (IEEPA), and sections 202(a) and
301 of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622 and 1631, I hereby
report that I have today issued an Executive Order. The order
terminates the national emergencies declared in Executive Order 12808
of May 30, 1992, and Executive Order 13088 of June 9, 1998, with
respect to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and
revokes those and all related orders. I have determined that the
situations that gave rise to those national emergencies have been
significantly altered by the peaceful transition to democracy and other
positive developments in Serbia and Montenegro (formerly the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) (the "FRY (SaM)").
A series of Milosevic-era Executive Orders, beginning with
Executive Order 12808 of May 30, 1992, imposed sanctions on the former
Yugoslavia. The sanctions imposed pursuant to Executive Order 12808
and related orders were suspended pursuant to Presidential
Determination 96-7, on December 27, 1995, in order to achieve a
settlement of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Executive
Order 13192 of January 17, 2001, President Clinton lifted sanctions on
the Government of the FRY (SaM) and the Governments of the Republics of
Serbia and Montenegro that had been imposed pursuant to Executive Order
13088 and related orders. Since that time, the United States
Government has maintained sanctions on Slobodan Milosevic, his close
associates, and other persons, because of the illegitimate control over
FRY (SaM) political institutions and economic resources or enterprises
exercised by these persons and their capacity to repress democracy or
perpetrate or promote further human rights abuses.
I have now determined that the strong commitment to political and
economic reform shown by senior officials in the Government of Serbia
and Montenegro warrants the termination altogether of the national
emergencies declared with respect to the former Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. These national emergencies, and the sanctions
that flowed from them, though suspended or lifted, have been perceived
to be outdated and have been a source of bilateral concern for the
United States and Serbia and Montenegro. In terminating these national
emergencies, this Executive Order also encourages the efforts of
reform-minded officials of the Government of Serbia and Montenegro by
removing the vestiges of restrictions imposed during the Milosevic
era.
Although I am terminating the Yugoslav emergencies and related
Executive Orders, pursuant to my authority under IEEPA, I am continuing
for the near future certain prohibitions with respect to property
previously blocked pursuant to Executive Orders 12808 and 13088. Such
prohibitions are necessary on account of claims involving the successor
states to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
others with respect to certain property and interests in property that
have yet to be unblocked. In addition, certain individuals targeted
with sanctions under Executive Order 13088, as amended by Executive
Order 13192 of January 17, 2001, will now be subject to sanctions set
forth under the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13219 of
June 26, 2001, with respect to persons who threaten international
stabilization efforts in the Western Balkans, as discussed below.
I have amended Executive Order 13219 of June 26, 2001, with respect
to persons who threaten international stabilization efforts in the
Western Balkans to take additional steps with respect to continuing,
widespread, and illicit actions by certain persons that obstruct
implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement of 2001 relating to
Macedonia, or United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of June
10, 1999, relating to Kosovo, or the Dayton Accords or the Conclusions
of the Peace Implementation Conference held in London on December 8-9,
1995, including the decisions or conclusions of the High
Representa-tive, the Peace Implementation Council or its Steering
Board, relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the harboring of
individuals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia. These additional steps respond to the continuing
actions of ethnic extremists in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, southern
Serbia, and elsewhere in the Western Balkans who engage in acts of
violence, sometimes targeting international personnel, or otherwise
obstruct efforts to build peace and stability. The Executive Order
underscores the support of the United States for the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia by sanctioning those
individuals indicted by the Tribunal and those who aid and abet their
efforts to escape justice.
The Executive Order blocks all property and interests in property
of the persons identified in the Annex to the order, which super-sedes
a previous Annex attached to Executive Order 13219, as well as persons
subsequently designated pursuant to the order by the Secretary of the
Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State. The order
further prohibits any transaction or dealing by United States persons
or within the United States in property or interests in property
blocked pursuant to the order, including the making or receiving of any
contribution of funds, goods, or services to or for the benefit of the
persons designated pursuant to the order.
Under the order, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate additional
persons, and thereby block their property and assets, that are
determined:
- to be under open indictment by the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, unless circumstances warrant
otherwise, or
- to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing,
acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of threatening the
peace in or diminishing the stability or security of any area or state
in the Western Balkans region, undermining the authority, efforts, or
objectives of international organi-zations or entities present in the
region, or endangering the safety of persons participating in or
providing support to the activities of those international
organizations or entities, or
- to have actively obstructed, or pose a significant risk of
actively obstructing, implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement
of 2001 relating to Macedonia, United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1244 relating to Kosovo, or the Dayton Accords or the
Conclusions of the Peace Implementation Conference held in London on
December 8-9, 1995, including the decisions or conclusions of the High
Representative, the Peace Implemen-tation Council or its Steering
Board, relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina, or
- to have materially assisted in, sponsored, or provided
financial, material or technological support for, or goods or services
in support of, such acts of violence or obstructionism, or any person
listed in or designated pursuant to this order, or
- to be owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act
directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, any persons designated in
or pursuant to this order.
In addition, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with
the Secretary of State, is also authorized to determine, subsequent to
the issuance of the Executive Order, that circum-stances no longer
warrant inclusion of a person in the Annex to the order and that such
person is therefore no longer covered within the scope of the Executive
Order. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, is also authorized to issue regulations in the
exercise of authorities under the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act and the United Nations Participation Act of 1945, as amended
(22 U.S.C. 287c), to implement the measures provided in the order. All
Federal agencies are directed to take actions within their authority to
carry out the provisions of the Executive Order.
This Executive Order further demonstrates the U.S. commitment to
supporting reform throughout the Balkans and recognizes the significant
steps the countries of the region have taken, and are continuing to
take, to root out corruption and fight organized crime.
I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued. This
order becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 29,
2003.
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
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