U.S. Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro Michael C. Polt: Statement on the Montenegrin Referendum on State Status

I would like to congratulate the people of Montenegro on the peaceful, democratic, and transparent manner in which the referendum was carried out. The people and their leaders on both sides of the vote demonstrated political maturity in dealing with this historic occasion.


The United States fully supports the OSCE/ODIHR assessment of the election, which stated that "the referendum was conducted in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and other international standards for democratic electoral processes."


We urge Montenegro and Serbia to work together to resolve the practical issues necessary to implement the will of the people of Montenegro as expressed in the referendum.


The U.S. is firmly committed to supporting efforts in the region that will help achieve President Bushs goal of a Europe whole, free and at peace.