THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                            (Hanoi, Vietnam)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                  November 18, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

On November 17, the United States joined France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in establishing formal diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).

We take this action in response to the remarkable changes in Yugoslavia following the democratic election of President Vojislav Kostunica and the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic. We and our allies are committed to supporting this historic democratic transition. As a first step, the United States will provide about $45 million in emergency food aid to help the people of Serbia through the winter. We are also consulting with Congress on how to utilize the $100 million in assistance appropriated for Serbia, as well as $89 million appropriated for assistance to the people of Montenegro.

President Kostunica and his government have already made dramatic progress in reversing the brutal policies of the old regime. And by taking membership in the United Nations and other international organizations on an equal status with other successor states of the former Yugoslavia, President Kostunica has signaled that his country is ready to play a constructive and stabilizing role in the region.

The democratic transition in the FRY, however, is far from over. The new government is faced with an economy destroyed by years of mismanagement. Members of Milosevic's regime are still in positions of power. Indicted war criminals continue to escape justice for their heinous crimes. But President Kostunica and leaders of the democratic forces have clearly put their country on a new path, one that includes a commitment to the rule of law and peaceful relations with its neighbors. By establishing diplomatic relations and ending the FRY's isolation, the United States and other western countries are demonstrating our commitment to supporting the new leaders of the FRY on this journey.

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