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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 965 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 965

Commending the people of Montenegro on the conduct of the referendum on 
 independence, welcoming United States recognition of the sovereignty 
     and independence of the Republic of Montenegro, and welcoming 
 Montenegrin membership in the United Nations and other international 
                             organizations.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2006

   Mr. Lantos (for himself, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Smith of New 
Jersey, Mr. Engel, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Blumenauer, and Mr. Hastings 
 of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Commending the people of Montenegro on the conduct of the referendum on 
 independence, welcoming United States recognition of the sovereignty 
     and independence of the Republic of Montenegro, and welcoming 
 Montenegrin membership in the United Nations and other international 
                             organizations.

Whereas the Constitutional Charter of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro 
        established provisions and procedures for withdrawal of a member state 
        from the State Union, providing that a decision to withdraw ``shall be 
        made after a referendum has been held'';
Whereas, in accordance with Article 60 of the Constitutional Charter of the 
        State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the Parliament of Montenegro 
        unanimously adopted in March 2006 the Law on the Referendum on the State 
        Legal Status of the Republic of Montenegro, which established the 
        conditions for the conduct of the referendum on state independence, 
        including establishing the standard that 55 percent of voters must 
        support independence to achieve a valid mandate;
Whereas the people of Montenegro in a popular referendum on May 21, 2006, voted 
        to support the sovereign independence of the Republic of Montenegro from 
        the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro by a margin of 55.5 percent in 
        favor of independence with over 86 percent of eligible voters 
        participating in the referendum;
Whereas, in accordance with the expressed will of a majority of the people of 
        Montenegro, on June 3, 2006, the Parliament of Montenegro declared the 
        independence of Montenegro, declaring that the Republic is a 
        ``multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious society . . . based on 
        the rule of law and market economy'';
Whereas countries and international organizations throughout the world, 
        including the United States and the European Union, have formally 
        recognized Montenegro as an independent state and are establishing 
        diplomatic relations with Montenegro;
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she announced that the 
        United States formally recognized the sovereignty and independence of 
        the Republic of Montenegro that ``the honor of being counted among the 
        free and independent states of the world brings with it the challenge of 
        protecting and advancing the freedom, rights, and prosperity of all the 
        people of Montenegro, and the responsibility to make a positive 
        contribution to the community of nations'';
Whereas on June 28, 2006, Montenegro was welcomed as the 192nd member of the 
        United Nations, on which occasion, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi 
        Annan said: ``In achieving its independence through a non-violent and 
        democratic process, conducted in a fair and open way, Montenegro showed 
        the entire world not only its patience, but its political maturity.''; 
        and
Whereas the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro have acted 
        responsibly in their bilateral relationship following the decision of 
        the Montenegrin people to withdraw from the State Union of Serbia and 
        Montenegro: on June 15, 2006, Serbia recognized the independence of 
        Montenegro, the two countries have established formal diplomatic 
        relations, and the President of Serbia was the first foreign head of 
        state to pay an official visit to Montenegro: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the people and the Government of the Republic 
        of Montenegro for the free, fair, and responsible way in which 
        the referendum on independence was conducted and acknowledges 
        the broad participation of the citizens of Montenegro in that 
        important vote;
            (2) congratulates the people of Montenegro on their 
        decision to establish an independent and sovereign state and 
        welcomes them to the community of nations, to membership in the 
        United Nations, to full participation in the Organization for 
        Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and to membership in 
        other international organizations;
            (3) welcomes the decision of the United States to recognize 
        the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Montenegro 
        and urges the expeditious establishment of diplomatic relations 
        between our two countries; and
            (4) urges the people and Government of Montenegro to 
        continue to embrace the principles of democratic government and 
        to take actions that will encourage respect for human rights, 
        for a free market economy, and for a free, open and democratic 
        society with full respect for all people of Montenegro.
                                 <all>
```