[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 26 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 272--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
UNITED STATES SHOULD REMAIN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE TO 
    PROMOTE LONG-TERM PEACE, STABILITY, AND PROSPERITY; CONTINUE TO 
    VIGOROUSLY OPPOSE THE BRUTAL REGIME OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC WHILE 
    SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION; AND FULLY 
                      IMPLEMENT THE STABILITY PACT

  Mr. VOINOVICH submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 272

       Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) 
     March 24, 1999 through June 10, 1999 bombing of the Federal 
     Republic of Yugoslavia focused the attention of the 
     international community on southeastern Europe;
       Whereas the international community, in particular the 
     United States and the European Union, made a commitment at 
     the conclusion of the bombing campaign to integrate 
     southeastern Europe into the broader European community;
       Whereas there is an historic opportunity for the 
     international community to help the people of southeastern 
     Europe break the cycle of violence, retribution, and revenge 
     and move towards respect for minority rights, establishment 
     of the rule of law, and the further development of democratic 
     governments;
       Whereas the Stability Pact was established in July 1999 
     with the goal of promoting cooperation among the countries of 
     southeastern Europe, with a focus on long-term political 
     stability and peace, security, democratization, and economic 
     reconstruction and development;
       Whereas the effective implementation of the Stability Pact 
     is important to the long-term peace and stability in the 
     region;
       Whereas the people and Government of the Former Yugoslav 
     Republic of Macedonia have a positive record of respect for 
     minority rights, the rule of law, and democratic traditions 
     since independence;
       Whereas the people of Croatia have recently elected leaders 
     that respect minority rights, the rule of law, and democratic 
     traditions;
       Whereas positive developments in the Former Yugoslav 
     Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Croatia will 
     clearly indicate to the people of Serbia that economic 
     progress and integration into the international community is 
     only possible if Milosevic is removed from power; and
       Whereas the Republic of Slovenia continues to serve as a 
     model for the region as it moves closer to European Union and 
     NATO membership: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) welcomes the tide of democratic change in southeastern 
     Europe, particularly the free and fair elections in Croatia, 
     and the regional cooperation taking place under the umbrella 
     of the Stability Pact;
       (2) recognizes that in this trend, the regime of Slobodan 
     Milosevic is ever more an anomaly, the only government in the 
     region not democratically elected, and an obstacle to peace 
     and neighborly relations in the region;
       (3) expresses its sense that the United States cannot have 
     normal relations with Belgrade as long as the Milosevic 
     regime is in power;
       (4) views Slobodan Milosevic as a brutal indicted war 
     criminal, responsible for immeasurable bloodshed, ethnic 
     hatred, and human rights abuses in southeastern Europe in 
     recent years;
       (5) considers international sanctions an essential tool to 
     isolate the Milosevic regime and promote democracy, and urges 
     the Administration to intensify, focus, and expand those 
     sanctions that most effectively target the regime and its key 
     supporters;
       (6) supports strongly the efforts of the Serbian people to 
     establish a democratic government and endorses their call for 
     early, free, and fair elections;
       (7) looks forward to establishing a normal relationship 
     with a new democratic government in Serbia, which will permit 
     an end to Belgrade's isolation and the opportunity to restore 
     the historically friendly relations between the Serbian and 
     American people;
       (8) expresses the readiness of the Senate, once there is a 
     democratic government in Serbia, to review conditions for 
     Serbia's full reintegration into the international community;
       (9) expresses its readiness to assist a future democratic 
     government in Serbia to build a democratic, peaceful, and 
     prosperous society, based on the same principle of respect 
     for international obligations, as set out by the Organization 
     for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United 
     Nations, which guide the relations of the United States with 
     other countries in southeastern Europe;
       (10) calls upon the United States and other Western 
     democracies to publicly announce and demonstrate to the 
     Serbian people the magnitude of assistance they could expect 
     after democratization; and
       (11) recognizes the progress in democratic and market 
     reform made by Montenegro, which can serve as a model for 
     Serbia, and urges a peaceful resolution of political 
     differences over the abrogation of Montenegro's rights under 
     the federal constitution.

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