THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 26, 2000
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
I applaud today's decision by the members of the Stability Pact to
welcome the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a new member. Last month
the people of Yugoslavia spoke clearly in support of democratic change.
The response today from the international community is just as clear.
We will stand with the new democratic government as it pursues economic
and political reform, meets its international obligations, and works
with neighboring countries to promote lasting stability throughout the
region.
We helped launch the Stability Pact last year with a common
understanding that an undivided, democratic and peaceful Europe will be
a reality only when the countries of Southeast Europe are integrated
with the rest of the continent. To achieve this goal, the governments
of the region are pressing ahead with reforms, the international
community is supporting the region's economic development and
integration, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia can now play its own
indispensable role in that effort.
At previous Stability Pact conferences, we invited participation by
the political opposition in Serbia and by the democratic government in
the Republic of Montenegro, both of which had the courage to stand up to
the violence and corruption of the Milosevic regime. But we always kept
open a chair for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Now the dramatic
changes in Belgrade allow the chair for Yugoslavia to be filled. This
is a major step towards realizing our shared vision of a region
committed to peace, to healing the wounds of war, and to taking its
place in a peaceful, undivided and democratic Europe.
30-30-30
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