IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 620

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding recent

elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 10, 2000

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. HOYER, Mr. WOLF, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. PITTS, Ms. SLAUGHTER, and

Mr. FORBES) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to

the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding recent elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and for other purposes.

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;
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•HRES 620 IH

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

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives

2 hereby—
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•HRES 620 IH

1 (1) congratulates the people of the Federal Re2 public of Yugoslavia for the courage in participating

3 in the September 24, 2000 elections;

4 (2) applauds the clear decision of the people of

5 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to embrace de6 mocracy, the rule of law, and integration into the

7 international community by rejecting dictatorship

8 and isolationism;

9 (3) reasserts its strong desire to reestablish the

10 historic friendship between the American and Ser11 bian people;

12 (4) expresses its intention to support a com13 prehensive assistance program for the Federal Re14 public of Yugoslavia to speed its economic recovery

15 and European integration once a democratic govern16 ment that respects the rule of law, human rights,

17 and a market economy is established; and

18 (5) expresses its support for full economic inte19 gration for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in20 cluding access to international financial institutions,

21 once a democratic government that respects the rule

22 of law, human rights, and a market economy is es23 tablished.

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