Termination

Termination Of Operation Sharp Guard

Operation Sharp Guard was terminated following a UN Security Council Resolution adopted on October 1, 1996.

For more than three years NATO and WEU effectively enforced both economic sanctions and an arms embargo. This helped contain the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and create the conditions for the Peace Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina. During Sharp Guard no ships were reported as having broken the embargo. To achieve this result, during the period 22 November 1992 to 18 June 1996 about 74,000 ships were challenged, almost 6,000 were inspected at sea and more than 1400 were diverted and inspected in port.

On 1 October 1996 the UN Security Council approved resolution 1074 and in a statement said that, satisfied with elections held in Bosnia and Herzegovina in line with Peace Agreement, the Security Council decided to immediately terminate all sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The resolution added also that the Council called upon all parties to comply strictly with their commitments under the Peace Agreement; furthermore, the Council decided to keep the situation under close review and to consider the imposition of additional measures if any party failed significantly to meet their obligations under the Agreement.

On 2 October 1996 NATO and WEU announced that, following the UN decision, Operation Sharp Guard was terminated, in accordance with the direction of the NATO and WEU Councils. The joint statement concluded that NATO and WEU consider that this operation, which was their first combined operation, served as a positive demonstration of the strengthening ties and intensifying cooperation between the two organizations.