President Djukanovic has kept Montenegro on the path of peace and reform. His government, a multi-ethnic coalition of three democratic parties, has committed itself to building democracy and a market economy. Montenegro has progressed, thanks in large part to the strong, pragmatic leadership President Djukanovic has provided. His careful and steady approach has enabled Montenegro to provide a more tolerant and prosperous society, despite tremendous pressure from the Milosevic regime to fall in line. Recognizing the constructive approach the new Montenegro government was taking, the U.S., and increasingly, the European Union, have supported the Government of Montenegro politically and with economic assistance.
Western assistance serves four valuable purposes.
First, it helps to mitigate the destabilizing effects of Belgrade's economic sanctions against Montenegro. Second, it allows Djukanovic to show that his policies deliver concrete benefits to the people of Montenegro. Third, it reduces pressure from pro-independence groups on Djukanovic to take risky steps. Fourth, it concretely demonstrates to Milosevic our strong interest in Montenegro and to the Serbian people that our differences are with Milosevic and his policies, not with Serbs or Montenegrins. We worked with our NATO allies to minimize the impact on Montenegro of air strikes against FRY and Serbian forces to avoid inadvertently weakening support for President Djukanovic and his reform policies.