06 February 2003
Transcript: U.S. Welcomes New Union of Serbia and Montenegro
(Feb. 6, Vienna: Davidson statement to OSCE Permanent Council) (300)
The United States welcomes the measures creating the new union of
Serbia and Montenegro from the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
U.S. diplomat Douglas A. Davidson said in a brief statement to the
OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna February 6.
Davidson also strongly urged Montenegrins to take part in repeat
presidential elections on February 9, noting that the first balloting
failed due to insufficient voter turnout.
Following is his statement:
(begin transcript)
United States Mission to the OSCE
Vienna
February 6, 2003
STATEMENT YUGOSLAVIA BECOMES SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
Delivered by Chargé d'Affaires Douglas A. Davidson to the Permanent
Council
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The United States too welcomes the adoption of the Constitutional
Charter and the Implementation Law by the Yugoslav Parliament, and we
extend our congratulations to the new State Union of Serbia and
Montenegro. The adoption of the Charter marks an important step
forward in peacefully developing a new relationship between the two
republics, and it signals the readiness of both to forge a working
union. We hope that this momentum carries over to the challenging task
of implementation.
Mr. Chairman, on a related issue, we note the upcoming and repeated
presidential elections in Montenegro on the 9th of February. We urge
all voters in Montenegro to make their voices heard by going to the
polls this Sunday. We recall that the first election attempt on the
22nd of December in 2002, failed because voter turnout did not meet
the required fifty percent threshold. While it is too late to change
the requirement for this election, we urge the Montenegrin Parliament
to abolish or amend the voter turnout threshold for future elections
and we support ODIHR's recommendations in this regard.
Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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