H. Res. 965

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

September 25, 2006.

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 
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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 
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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 econ-
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omy, and for a free, open and democratic society with 

full respect for all people of Montenegro. 

Attest:

Clerk.