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 proce-
dures 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 estab-
lished the conditions for the conduct of the referendum 
on state independence, including establishing the stand-
ard 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 inde-
pendence 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 Par-
liament of Montenegro declared the independence of
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Montenegro, declaring that the Republic is a ‘‘multi-
ethnic, multicultural and multireligious society . . . based 
on the rule of law and market economy’’; 
Whereas countries and international organizations through-
out the world, including the United States and the Euro-
pean Union, have formally recognized Montenegro as an 
independent state and are establishing diplomatic rela-
tions with Montenegro; 
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she an-
nounced that the United States formally recognized the 
sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Monte-
negro 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 Monte-
negro have acted responsibly in their bilateral relation-
ship following the decision of the Montenegrin people to 
withdraw from the State Union of Serbia and Monte-
negro: on June 15, 2006, Serbia recognized the inde-
pendence of Montenegro, the two countries have estab-
lished formal diplomatic relations, and the President of
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Serbia was the first foreign head of state to pay an offi-
cial 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 re-
sponsible 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 Eu-
rope (OSCE), and to membership in other international 
organizations; 
(3) welcomes the decision of the United States to 
recognize the sovereignty and independence of the Re-
public of Montenegro and urges the expeditious estab-
lishment of diplomatic relations between our two coun-
tries; and 
(4) urges the people and Government of Monte-
negro to continue to embrace the principles of demo-
cratic government and to take actions that will encour-
age 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.