LUXEMBOURG EU foreign ministers Monday lifted key sanctions against Serbia, making good on their promise to reward Serbs for ousting Slobodan Milosevic as Yugoslavia's president, AFP said.
But they kept in force a travel ban on Milosevic, his family and associates -- while showing little interest in linking a potential 2.3 billion euros (two billion dollars) in aid to the fate of the defeated Serbian strongman, who is wanted for trial by the UN war crimes tribunal.
"The European Union has decided to lift all sanctions targeting the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since 1998, with the exception of those aimed at Milosevic and people associated with him," said the text of a resolution approved over lunch by the foreign ministers.
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine will travel to Belgrade on Tuesday to brief Yugoslavia's new President Vojislav Kostunica on both the decision and prospects for massive EU financial aid.
French currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and is inviting Kostunica to a summit of EU leaders which opens Friday in the French seaside resort of Biarritz.
Meanwhile, a plane thought to be carrying Marko Milosevic, the son of deposed Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo-2 Airport Monday.
Sources in Beijing said the younger Milosevic had been refused entry to China after arriving on a flight from Moscow, and had been immediately put on a return flight.
Border guard sources confirmed to the Interfax news agency that Marko Milosevic was aboard Aeroflot Flight 572, which touched down around 5:18 pm (1318 GMT), according to airport officials.
(To Be Contd.)