[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 620 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 620

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding recent 
    elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 10, 2000

    Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Wolf, Mr. 
Gejdenson, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Pitts, Ms. Slaughter, and Mr. 
 Forbes) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding recent 
    elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia held municipal, parliamentary, and 
        presidential elections on September 24, 2000;
Whereas Slobodan Milosevic, President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, is 
        an indicted war criminal;
Whereas Slobodan Milosevic is largely responsible for immeasurable bloodshed, 
        human rights abuses, ethnic cleansing, refugees, property destruction, 
        and environmental destruction that has devastated southeast Europe in 
        recent years;
Whereas Slobodan Milosevic has arrested, intimidated, and harassed opposition 
        figures;
Whereas Slobodan Milosevic has prevented the freedom of assembly;
Whereas Slobodan Milosevic has prevented the freedom and independence of the 
        press through intimidation, arrests, fines, the destruction of property, 
        and jamming;
Whereas Slobodan Milosevic and his supporters refused to allow independent 
        international election monitors into the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 
        before the September 24, 2000 elections;
Whereas reliable reports indicate that Slobodan Milosevic and his supporters 
        intentionally ignored internationally accepted standards for free and 
        fair elections in order to control voting results and violated the 
        Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's new election law in the tabulation of 
        the vote;
Whereas reliable documented reports indicate that 74 percent of the eligible 
        voters of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia participated in the 
        September 24, 2000 elections;
Whereas reliable documented reports based on official voting records indicate 
        that Vojislav Kostunica, President, Democratic Party of Serbia, defeated 
        Slobodan Milosevic with more than 50 percent of the vote; and
Whereas the people of Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia have been the victims 
        of wars initiated by the Milosevic regime: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives hereby--
            (1) congratulates the people of the Federal Republic of 
        Yugoslavia for the courage in participating in the September 
        24, 2000 elections;
            (2) applauds the clear decision of the people of the 
        Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to embrace democracy, the rule 
        of law, and integration into the international community by 
        rejecting dictatorship and isolationism;
            (3) reasserts its strong desire to reestablish the historic 
        friendship between the American and Serbian people;
            (4) expresses its intention to support a comprehensive 
        assistance program for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to 
        speed its economic recovery and European integration once a 
        democratic government that respects the rule of law, human 
        rights, and a market economy is established; and
            (5) expresses its support for full economic integration for 
        the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including access to 
        international financial institutions, once a democratic 
        government that respects the rule of law, human rights, and a 
        market economy is established.
                                 <all>