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Macedonian Missile Efforts Trigger U.S. Sanctions By Mike Nartker WASHINGTON — The United States has sanctioned two Macedonian entities for alleged missile proliferation activities, according to a notice published last week in the Federal Register (see GSN, Sept. 19). Earlier this month, a determination was made that the Macedonian company Mikrosam and the Macedonian national Blagoja Samakoski had conducted missile technology proliferation activities, according to the notice. A U.S. State Department official told Global Security Newswire today that the two entities transferred items controlled under Category 2 of the Missile Technology Control Regime annex — dual-use items capable of being used to develop a missile with a range of 300 kilometers and capable of carrying at least a 500-kilogram payload — to a non-MTCR member. The official refused, however, to further describe what items were transferred or to identify the recipient country. Under the mandatory sanctions, Mikrosam and Samakoski are prohibited from importing items from the United States controlled by the MTCR and the U.S. Export Administration Act for two years. The two entities are also prohibited from entering into U.S. government contracts related to MTCR-controlled items or technologies for two years, according to the notice. In addition the United States also chose to impose a second set of sanctions against the two entities, according to a Federal Register notice. Under the second set of sanctions, Mikrosam and Samakoski are prohibited from entering into any contracts with the U.S. government and from exporting goods into the United States for two years. In addition, the State Department has suspended “until further notice” all licenses and approval for defense-related exports to the two entities, the notice says. The State Department official said, though, that the decision to impose the second set of sanctions should not be seen as an indication of the seriousness of the alleged missile proliferation activities. The Macedonian government had been informed about the decision to impose sanctions before the announcement, and has been cooperative and agreed to strengthen its export control system, the State Department official said. The official added that this case demonstrated that proliferators have taken an interest in “pockets” that might not have been previously considered as sources for WMD and missile-related items. “[I] guess we’ll find out the hard way if this is a one-off occurrence,” the State Department official said.
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