UN waits to vote on lifting sanctions

New York - The United Nations Security Council was ready yesterday to begin unravelling the sanctions in place against all sides in the Yugoslav conflict when and if a peace agreement emerged from peace talks in Dayton, Ohio, writes David Usborne.

A first resolution was aimed at suspending indefinitely the economic sanctions imposed on Serbia and Montenegro at the start of the war in 1992.

Also on the table was a resolution ending the arms embargo against the Bosnian government. Manoeuvres in the Security Council were being choreographed with the progress in Dayton. A first meeting to consider the two texts was held on Sunday, well before the outcome of the talks was certain.

By signalling the willingness of the UN to lift sanctions, Washington may have been looking to generate additional incentives for the governments of Serbia and Bosnia to overcome last-minute obstacles in Dayton and sign the accord.