Brussels, 29/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The French Presidency has released the following declaration on the presidential elections in FRY, on behalf of the EU. "The message sent by the Serbs to Milosevic and the international community is clear: the hour of change has sounded in Belgrade. The manoeuvres of a declining authority to disguise reality and delay change only serve to reveal further the scope of the confidence the Serbian people expressed in Mr Kostunica, who now represents in the eyes of the world a new FRY. The EU, as promised, must place itself in a position to waive at an early date the sanctions against FRY imposed as a result of the Milosevic regime. The will of the Serbian people must be respected. The opposition victory must not be confiscated, which means that the opposition's request for verification of the figures put forward by the federal Election Commission must be granted.