Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-13-Speech-2-154"
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"en.20040113.18.2-154"2
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".
Mr President, honourable Members, it is my honour to address you at the start of this year when we expect to witness a further acceleration of our
with European structures.
Quite openly, our main mistake is that we were sometimes late. On the other hand, the response of the world, or to be more precise, the response of certain institutions, was sometimes rash, or very difficult to understand for our general democratic public. Many global analysts did not fail to notice this, mentioning numerous adverse consequences that threatened to slow down the reform-related and democratic steps taken by our State Union, particularly the last four indictments issued prior to the elections in Serbia by the Hague Tribunal.
It is difficult to bear the brunt of doubt that you are not cooperating with the Hague Tribunal in the way people at The Hague wish, despite the obvious results achieved in that field. It is also difficult to be under pressure from some citizens who often see this cooperation with ICTY – based on the implementation of the Law on Cooperation with ICTY passed by the State Union Parliament – as being excessive on the part of the democratic authorities of Serbia and Montenegro, and to the detriment of its own citizens.
I wish to assure you that we wish to cooperate with The Hague in the future in line with the commitments made, the adopted international instruments and our national laws. We also expect to meet with the understanding of the international and national public in this task, and to have their cooperation. This will be yet another confirmation of our sincere commitment and belonging to the values of the civilised and democratic world that you promote in this august House.
We do not wish to be the hostages of the past, or of The Hague, or of the generals. We agree only to be the hostages of our future for the sake of our posterity, the generations that wish to live equally and together with their peers in Europe and the rest of the world.
Wishing to stabilise political conditions, Serbia recently held early parliamentary elections. The majority of citizens gave their support to the democratic forces. No matter how the outcome of these elections is commented upon, it is a fact that the democratic forces won over 60% of the votes cast, and, moreover, it happened now: not in a fight against Milosević, but in the fight for a democratic and European future for Serbia and Montenegro. This is not a time of further radicalisation, but a time when we in Serbia and in Montenegro have to do everything in our power to broaden, to the maximum extent possible, the national consensus concerning the European and development priorities of Serbia and Montenegro. The democratic forces are already guided by this need. They are currently working, as you are aware, to form a new democratic government, which will make it possible to carry on with democratic, reform-oriented and pro-European processes throughout the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
A great deal has been done at the political and economic level in the past. This is borne out by the fact that, even in this distinctive political vacuum, not only has there been no monetary instability, but on the contrary, several major capital investment contracts have been concluded with well-known corporations in the world.
Serbia and Montenegro have continued to implement the action plan for the harmonisation of the economic systems of Serbia and Montenegro, and to Mr Patten, I wish to say that yes, we still have outstanding issues, but we positively wish to finalise the Feasibility Study for negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union.
Reforms in the field of education have also been carried out in the proper way so that our country is now a signatory of the Bologna Declaration. There is full support for our reforms in the judiciary. There is full cooperation in the fight against organised crime, and this is also in evidence at the trials that have commenced before the Special Court for Organised Crime. As you are aware, a special court has been established for war crimes as well and we expect that it too will soon try cases referred or to be referred to the national judiciary by the Hague Tribunal.
Reforms of the armed forces have been carried out. Full democratic and civil control of the military has also been introduced. The length of military service has been shortened and the border demilitarisation process has been initiated.
We expect that early this year Serbia and Montenegro will finally be admitted to the Partnership for Peace Programme. As regards the region, mutual apologies mentioned by the distinguished President of your Parliament, Mr Cox, for crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, were not only empty words. We continued strengthening regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations by introducing a more liberal visa regime. Serbia and Montenegro have abolished visas previously required to enter over 40 countries. We created conditions for the return of refugees and IDPs, and achieved further concrete, economic and cultural cooperation.
I sincerely believe that the upcoming political dialogues and finalisation of the feasibility study will be yet another major step towards the conclusion of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement of our State Union with the European Union. This will be of critical importance. Without a favourable assessment in the feasibility study and accelerated work to conclude Serbia and Montenegro's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, the process of Europeanisation and the progress necessary to guarantee a better life for all will be slowed down.
However, apologies are about the need to fully, sincerely, and responsibly face up to one's past. It is only in this way that we can move forward. Ideal and innocent people walk the skies. As sinful people walking the earth, we must have the courage to recognise our mistakes as such, rectify them and forge new relations. The delusions of the past have punished many nations in the Balkans swept by the violent winds of history.
There are almost 650 000 refugees and IDPs currently residing in Serbia and Montenegro, mostly Serbs from Krajina, Bosnia and Kosovo. This speaks volumes about the sacrifices those people were forced to make by politics that pushed national wishes in front of reality.
Every policy that only pursues its own wishes and does not recognise the realism of a realistic, modern and political resolution of outstanding issues is a blind policy. The citizens of Serbia and Montenegro, therefore, as victims of a period of their past and such a policy, rightfully expect today an understanding and an apology for all that they were forced to live through in that period of delusion and hope. It is a delusion that it is possible to live alone, without cooperation with Europe and the world, without promoting historical friendship ties and without forging a common, stable, prosperous, democratic and European future for all its nations and states.
This feeling of understanding and apology is something that I carry deep in my bosom as President of Serbia and Montenegro and I also expect to encounter such understanding from all our friends. I am saying this because the Belgrade Agreement has yielded positive results. The Belgrade Agreement, forged by a democratic agreement reached by Serbia and Montenegro with the assistance of the European Union, has resulted in the present good relations between Serbia and Montenegro, rather than relations marked by a lack of understanding and by conflict. At present we use dialogue to reach agreement on issues of common concern regarding the State Union, without outvoting and jeopardising the autonomy of either State.
Our institutions are increasingly assuming full responsibility for consistent implementation of the Constitutional Charter. These activities, together with the efforts of the State governments, have brought Serbia and Montenegro closer today than ever before to Europe and European integration processes. This is one of the most important goals of the State Union's operation under the Belgrade Agreement and the Constitutional Charter.
As the President of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, I am convinced that the signing of the Belgrade Agreement and the Constitutional Charter on the new State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was a good choice under the given conditions, and that it is our task now at all levels to perform our duties responsibly and effectively in accordance with the responsibilities assumed. The economic and political support promised by Europe will surely contribute to this to the largest possible extent. The experiences from the former Yugoslavia and from the world have shown that – to use the modern political jargon – the carrot is always more efficient than the stick. We are even ready to have Europe set, for each of its concrete incentives, a deadline within which its expectations are to be met.
It is this type of stimulus and encouragement that we look forward to receiving from the European Union, particularly with regard to the drawing-up of the Feasibility Study. This is why I am confident that if the results of the study are positive, and if the Stabilisation and Association Agreement is concluded in time, this will ensure that Serbia and Montenegro will travel the road to European integration. We are all working sincerely and assiduously towards a situation in which we share the common values of a peaceful, democratic and civilised world.
I salute you on behalf of Serbia and Montenegro: its citizens, its hopes and its expectations for the life we would like to share with the countries in the region and with all the nations of Europe.
This is why we expect and call on all in the European Union to resume together the implementation of the tasks of accelerating Europeanisation with even more enthusiasm, not only for the sake of the European future of Serbia and Montenegro, but in equal measure for the sake of the vitally important security, stability and progress of the entire Western Balkans region.
In this process, the role and the importance of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro is of outstanding importance, not only for geo-strategic or security reasons, but even more because of the further promotion of democratic and European standards in the approach to the resolution of the remaining outstanding issues of this region on European integration, among which the issue of Kosovo is, certainly, of particular importance.
Dialogue and only dialogue, along with respect for UN resolutions and the active role and responsibility of the international community may eliminate the threat of ethnic tension and pressures, particularly on the non-Albanian population. Serbia and Montenegro support the Standards Before Status policy, for it is only a multi-ethnic Kosovo, a Kosovo safe and free for all those wishing to return and live there, a Kosovo of European standards, that can become the realm of prospects and progress for all its citizens.
Throughout history the Balkans have often paid the tragic price of intolerance. It was primarily the citizens and the peoples living in these parts that were the victims of such a policy. Today, I am sure, we have all become more mature and realise that the way to the modern, developed and democratic world for all the nations in the Western Balkans may only be through political dialogue, compromise and negotiation. Radicalisation trends take us backwards. Agreement and dialogue alone open up prospects of a tolerant, multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, stable European society. That is our vision, our political goal and our hope.
The representatives of the European Union that will be visiting our country in a few days' time will have the opportunity to witness the fact that the process of reforms in the transition of Serbia and Montenegro has not been halted, even though last year was one of huge political challenges, globally, regionally and at home.
I shall recall that the assassination of the Prime Minister of Serbia, Zoran Djindjić, according to the opinion of many, with all its tragic consequences, was primarily aimed at thwarting the effective setting-up of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and at causing a general destabilisation of the region. Our country has also resisted this type of challenge. Security has been maintained and not only has the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro been formed, but it has also become a member of the Council of Europe and an equal participant in the European integration processes.
I do not hide the fact that we had expected to make more rapid, more intensive progress as regards joining Europe, and in particular perhaps to encounter higher levels of understanding. Indeed, it is also possible that Europe expected more. I do not doubt, however, that the desire for our country to join the greater European democratic family is mutual. This being the case, it is up to both us and Europe to see where we have made mistakes, to avoid making more mistakes in the future and to do our utmost to achieve our common goal that quite certainly takes Serbia and Montenegro, and the Western Balkans, towards the promotion of European life and values."@en1
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"Marović,"1
"President of Serbia and Montenegro"1
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