CAFOD, the Catholic aid agency, is calling
on the West to signal its support for the people of Serbia by lifting sanctions
on humanitarian grounds - irrespective of the outcome of the current political
crisis.
Boris Radovic, Director of the Belgrade
based International Aid Network, said:
"These elections confirm what I said when I spoke to British politicians in March this year - that the majority of people in Serbia do not support President Milosevic and should not be punished for his crimes. If the West accept that the people have voted for change, then they too should change their policy of punishing the whole population for the policies of the Milosevic regime."
In March this year CAFOD published a report calling on the EU, UN and UK government to review sanctions on Serbia in the light of compelling evidence of an emerging humanitarian crisis. Ten years of war and economic mismanagement have been compounded by comprehensive sanctions which have increased the suffering of the population while enriching President Milosevic and his allies. The agency was echoing strong calls for the lifting of sanctions from the Churches and humanitarian agencies inside Serbia.
CAFOD welcomes recent statements from the EU and the US that sanctions will be lifted if Milosevic goes, but the agency is urging politicians to ensure that a new set of political conditions are not attached to the lifting of sanctions. Serbian opposition politicians had clashed with EU officials in the past for proposing that sanctions would not be lifted until President Milosevic is handed over to the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague.
Cathy Corcoran, Head of External Affairs at CAFOD said:
"CAFOD's partners and the Churches in Serbia have long argued that the human suffering caused by sanctions cannot justify the political goals. UN figures show that a staggering 63 per cent of the population live in poverty and less than one in ten people can afford anything more than food and basic necessities. Whatever the outcome of this political crisis, the West must ensure that its actions are not compounding the humanitarian suffering of a population who have surely suffered enough."
CAFOD supports a number of aid programmes in Serbia including a major programme of relief for the Serb and Roma refugees who have fled the wars that have wracked this region for the past ten years. Serbia now has the highest number of refugees in Europe and many live in abject poverty and misery.
For further information or interviews with Boris Radovic, please call Fiona Fox on 0207 733 7900 or 020 8881 4272 or e-mail on ffox@cafod.org.uk