Madrid/Vienna/Brussels/Strasbourg, 27/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 September, the European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine, in a telephone conversation made from Madrid (where she is on an official visit), assured Vojislav Kostunica the "full support" of the EP, and reiterated her invitation to come to the European Parliament as quickly as possible". Mr Kostunica replied that he would accept the invitation, but it would be necessary to wait for the "situation to clarify", even if for him it is clear that he will win the Presidential election and that he would not take part in a possible second round (see below).
The President of the European Commission Romano Prodi called on Wednesday on Slobodan Milosevic to respect the "clear will of the Serb people", and he added: "I tell the Serb opposition: Europe is ready to help you rebuild a democratic Serbia. The European Commission is already working on aid for the reconstruction of the 3economy and infrastructure in Serbia, as soon as the will of the people is respected. We are ready to lift sanctions, and to provide emergency aid to tackle the rigours of winter. It is a major task. We want to get to work immediately". (Unofficial translation).
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe stated on Wednesday that the Federal Election Commission had announced on the eve "in a highly suspicious manner" the results of last Sunday's Presidential elections. According to the Commission, the opposition candidate Kostunica is in the lead with 48.2% of the vote against 40.2% for the exiting President Milosevic, which requires a second round, that will take place on 8 October. Gerard Stoudmann, from the OSCE Human Rights Bureau, asserts in a press release, issued in Vienna, that if the Commission wants to convince the population that "the results are not fraudulent, they must publish in detail all the results of the vote from all the polling stations".
Furthermore, the CDU MEP Doris Pack, President of the EP delegation for relations with South Eastern Europe, asserted that these elections are only the "beginning of the end for the Milosevic regime", which "will probably not leave its position voluntarily". Mrs Pack encouraged the Serbs, to hold tight, reminding them that the demonstrations of the winter of 1996/1997 had forced Milosevic to accept the results of the November 1996 elections.
As for the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer, he said that "It is now our duty to help the decisive process presently on march" in Yugoslavia and that he hopes to meet as quickly as possible Vojislav Kostunica, to examine with him the help that the Council of Europe can bring to the Yugoslav democratic forces.