110 HRES 1442 IH: Supporting and congratulating the people of U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-16 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1442 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 16, 2008 Mr. Burton of Indiana (for himself, Ms. Bean, Mr. Chabot, and Mr. Davis of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Supporting and congratulating the people of Serbia on the formation of a new coalition government.

Whereas the United States has enduring national interests in the peace and security of southeastern Europe, and in the greater integration of the region into the Euro-Atlantic community of democratic, well-governed states; Whereas Serbia is a vital component of the full integration of the Balkan region, and a stable and democratic Serbia is a linchpin of the whole region; Whereas the people of Serbia won their freedom and once again established democratic rule in October 2000 by taking to the streets and forcing the removal of then-President Slobodan Milosevic; Whereas the people of Serbia have since continuously elected pro-European and pro-Western forces to lead their country in 7 parliamentary and presidential elections; Whereas on February 3, 2008, the people of Serbia reelected President Boris Tadic to lead their country; Whereas on May 11, 2008, the people of Serbia held successful parliamentary elections, in which pro-Western parties won a majority of the seats; Whereas Serbian leaders have been working together to form a coalition government since Serbia's May 11, 2008, national election; Whereas on July 8, 2008, members of the Serbian Parliament formed a new coalition government, who made Serbia’s accession into the European Union a priority, installing significant progress toward the European Union’s plan to stabilize and integrate the Balkan region; Whereas Serbia’s cabinet aims to develop and maintain positive and productive relations with the United States and other countries throughout the world; Whereas the new coalition cabinet was approved in a strong majority vote of 127–27; Whereas the new coalition government is the most pro-European Union and stable government the country has had since the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic 8 years ago; Whereas Serbia has enacted several military and defense reforms to strengthen ties to its Western allies, including— (1)signing a Status of Forces Agreement with the United States Government to facilitate Serbia's participation in joint military exercises and training on September 7, 2006; (2)engaging in participation in the National Guard State Partnership Program with the Ohio National Guard on September 8, 2006; and (3)being granted accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Partnership for Peace program, along with its neighbors, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, initiating formal cooperation between NATO and Serbia on December 14, 2006; Whereas all parties of the coalition government have endorsed the same ‘‘five pillars’’ of policy—European Union membership, cooperation with The Hague tribunal, Kosovo, social and economic reforms, and fighting crime and corruption; and Whereas Serbia’s aspiration to become a full member of the European Union is a clearly-declared commitment of every party in this coalition: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports the productive efforts made by the Serbian leaders to form a fair and effective coalition government; (2)encourages continued fostering of pro-western, pro-European Union cooperation; and (3)supports increased defense and security cooperation, the establishment of durable economic ties, and stronger relationships among academic institutions between the United States and Serbia as the Balkan country continues to work toward integration into the Euro-Atlantic community.