[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20502-20503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  SENATE RESOLUTION 365--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING 
 RECENT ELECTIONS IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA, AND FOR OTHER 
                                PURPOSES

  Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Hagel, Mr. 
Smith of Oregon, Mr. Lautenberg, and Ms. Landrieu) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 365

       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 Senate 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.

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce a sense-of-
the-Senate resolution today to congratulate the people of the Federal 
Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) for embracing democracy and the rule of 
law in the September 24, 2000 municipal, parliamentary and presidential 
elections. I am pleased to be joined by Senators Biden, Landrieu, 
Lautenberg, Hagel, Lugar, and Gordon Smith in this bipartisan effort.
  This resolution makes it clear that the Senate is eager to embrace a 
democratic government in Serbia that respects the rule of law, human 
rights, and a market economy. Milosevic's bloodletting, ethnic 
cleansing, and human rights violations have forced the international 
community, including the United States, to impose a number of crippling 
sanctions on the FRY. In the wake of the courageous September 24 vote, 
it is important to send a clear message to the Serbian people that the 
Senate intends to assist a democratic government and reintegrate it 
into the global marketplace. This resolution sends that message.
  The historic friendship between the American and Serbian people have 
suffered for too long. I look forward to continuing to work with my 
colleagues in the Senate to reestablish this important relationship by 
assisting a new government in Serbia recover from the destruction of 
Milosevic's rule.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to join my friend from Ohio, 
Senator Voinovich, and other colleagues in co-sponsoring a Sense of the 
Senate Resolution regarding the recent elections in the Federal 
Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), including advocating the resumption of 
economic assistance, once democracy is restored in that country.
  The Voinovich-Biden resolution congratulates the people of the FRY 
for their courage in participating in the September 24, 2000 elections; 
applauds the clear decision of the people of the FRY to embrace 
democracy, the rule of law, and integration into the international 
community by rejecting dictatorship and isolationism; reasserts the 
strong desire of the Senate to reestablish the historic friendship 
between the American and Serbian peoples; and expresses its intention 
to support a comprehensive assistance program for the FRY to speed its 
economic recovery and European integration and access to international 
financial institutions, once a democratic government that respects the 
rule of law, human rights, and a market economy is established.
  Slobodan Milosevic, one of the most despicable individuals I have 
ever met, is on the ropes. Even as we meet here today, tens of 
thousands of brave men and women are refusing to work and instead are 
demonstrating in the streets of cities throughout Yugoslavia for 
Milosevic to honor the results of last month's elections. The 
democratic opposition has called for people to stage a massive rally in 
Belgrade on Thursday, October 5, in a final push to drive Milosevic 
from power.
  The Voinovich-Biden resolution, Mr. President, puts the United States 
Senate on record on the side of the people

[[Page 20503]]

of Yugoslavia and its largest nationality, the Serbs, against 
Milosevic's tyranny.
  As I have said several times on this floor, for the last decade our 
quarrel has never been with the Serbian people, who were allies of the 
United States in two world wars in the twentieth century. Vojislav 
Kostunica, whose victory in last month's elections Milosevic and his 
cronies tried to steal and are now trying to deny, is an honest man who 
should be given a chance to cooperate with the Western democracies.
  The Voinovich-Biden resolution is a signal to all citizens of the 
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that the path to their country's 
rejoining the international community, and thereby to restoring their 
shattered economy, is to honor the results of the elections by 
immediately and formally installing Mr. Kostunica as President.

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