Assemblée parlementaire de l'OTAN
HomeMEDIA RESOURCES20045-7 April 2004 - NATO Parliamentarians visit Serbia and Montenegro

5-7 April 2004 - NATO Parliamentarians visit Serbia and Montenegro

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Parliamentarians from NATO states and countries associated to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited Belgrade and Podgorica on 5-7 April for a fact-finding mission and to discuss relations between the Alliance and Serbia and Montenegro. The Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Central and Eastern Europe, led by its chairman Mr Marcus Meckel (Germany) met with representatives from the Serbian and Montenegrin government and parliament as well as with independent experts from the OSCE and from non-government organisations.

Serbian and Montenegrin officials stressed their strong interest in joining NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme. However, the meetings revealed no indication that Serbia was prepared to meet the necessary conditions, particularly to withdraw the lawsuit against eight NATO member countries over the Kosovo air campaign at the International Court of Justice and to fully co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Participants stressed the importance of the upcoming Presidential elections in Serbia for the country’s reform process and its co-operation with the international community.

In contrast to views expressed in Belgrade, Montenegrin officials stated their willingness to co-operate fully with the ICTY. Different views were expressed about the union of Serbia and Montenegro with Montenegrin officials appearing sceptical about its future. NATO Parliamentarians and Serbian and Montenegrin interlocutors deplored the recent outbreak of violence in Kosovo and stressed that NATO and the international community must ensure the protection of minorities in the province. Both sides agreed that a stable and secure Kosovo was crucial for the stability in Southeastern Europe, no new ideas were forthcoming on how to achieve this goal. Fears were expressed that the upcoming Presidential elections in Serbia could lead to a further outburst of violence in the province. The delegation of the NATO PA and Serbian and Montenegrin hosts decided to continue discussions to elaborate ways to further improve relations between the Assembly and Serbia and Montenegro.
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