Brussels, 18/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council (GAC) chaired by French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine on Monday decided to send a "radical message" to the Serb people on the eve of the 24 September presidential elections. It reminds the Serb population of its place in Europe, which has "never forgotten", according to Vedrine, that "Serbs are Europeans". Here is the text in full of the message:
"On 24 September, the people of Serbia will be faced with a crucial political choice. The elections, whatever the circumstances under which they have been decided and organised, will give the Serbian people the opportunity to repudiate clearly and peacefully the policy of Milosevic, which consists in political manipulation, deprivation of liberty and impoverishment of the population. It is that policy which led the FRY to war, isolation and deadlock. These elections will give the Serbian people a chance for democratic change. It is up to them to seize the opportunity by turning out to vote.
We reaffirm that a choice leading to democratic change will entail a radical change in the European Union's policy with regard to Serbia: we will lift the sanctions against the FRY; we will support the necessary economic and political reforms by providing Serbia with economic aid for its reconstruction and will support the reintegration of the FRY into the international Community. We will suggest to the FRY that it draw closer to the European Union so that it can occupy its rightful place in Europe. We have never forgotten that Serbs are Europeans.
A vote for democracy in Serbia will be a vote for Serbia in Europe"
At a press conference, the Council President added that the Council had invited parliamentarians of Member States to send "witnesses of democracy" to the FRY to evaluate the elections "on the bases of recognised international norms". He said that, without further debating the issue following the agreement reached at the level of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, the GAC had adopted a regulation relating to preferential trading measures in favour of the Western Balkans. The Fifteen, Vedrine added, confirmed their agreement on the holding of the 24 November Summit in Zagreb which is, according to the Fifteen, intended to send a "strong signal on democracy".
The Secretary General of the Council, Javier Solana welcomed a "strong and clear declaration" intended for the Serb population, in the follow-up to the informal meeting of Evian. As to what the EU would do should Milosevic win, Mr. Vedrine simply said: "We focused on what could usefully be done between now and Sunday".