U.S. Response to Report of Foreign Plot to Sabotage FRY Election
Department spokesman calls charges "nonsense"
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release September 23, 2000
STATEMENT BY RICHARD BOUCHER, SPOKESMAN
U.S. Response to Report of Foreign Plot to Sabotage FRY Elections
The Yugoslav regime said today that the Yugoslav government will
impose new, tough security measures in tomorrow's election in order to
foil foreign and domestic "plots" it claims to have uncovered. Also,
this morning forces associated with the Milosevic regime occupied a
government building in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. The building
apparently will be a center for counting votes in Sunday's elections,
and the movement of forces there violated a UN Security Council
Resolution demilitarizing the area.
The Government's charges of a foreign plan are nonsense. By offering
baseless charges and moving troops to electoral sites on the day
before elections the regime is showing the world and the people of
Yugoslavia that it feels weak and afraid heading into those elections.
The regime has refused offers for monitoring by qualified, independent
international observers, who could have evaluated the regime's charges
on the spot. Nevertheless, the world is watching events in Yugoslavia,
and the regime should know that it could not claim legitimacy by
soaking a claim to victory in intimidation, fraud, and violence.
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