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5 October, 2000
The Serbian people have finally gotten rid of the dictatorship. Slobodan Milosevic thought that the Serbian people would agree to give him one more term, but they clearly said "No" on their ballots.
The strikes declared by workers and the independent trade unions as well as the non-violent revolt by the vast majority of the people who occupied the streets of Belgrade gave the final blow to the last dictatorship in Europe.
Now it is time for reconstruction, to rebuild the economy and the political system. And Serbia needs help.
Democracy has to be restored. International law ensuring the full application of human and trade union rights will have to be ratified and fully incorporated into national legislation.
This must happen now, without delay.
Sanctions must be lifted immediately, and full-scale communication must be restored.
These are pre-conditions to making sure that Serbia comes back into the international community and Europe.
We said already over a year ago, during the NATO bombing, that the long-term solution for the political and economic problems of the Balkans remains the possibility to integrate the whole region as fast as possible into the European Union. A great effort has to be made to start the integration process, which must involve the entire Balkan population.
I am convinced that this will also, to a large extent, contribute to the long-term solution of the Kosovo problem.
Vojislav Kostunica is now president of the country. Nezavisnost, the new trade union of Serbia, supported him.
Expectations on Kostunica are many and he needs time. We can also expect a difficult period of internal fights between various factions of the opposition. Many different groups will attempt to use the trade unions to their own ends.
The trade unions, all of them, will have to maintain their independence and autonomy in order to make sure that workers and their families will benefit from the changes. If this does not happen, they will soon lose their credibility as a democratic and progressive force.
The result would be a major catastrophe for the whole process of democratisation. The trade union which was controlled by the regime until yesterday has to quickly change direction and bring new, fresh blood to its leadership.
The fall of Milosevic has opened the door to new and positive developments which must involve both the new and the old trade unions.
What's happening in Serbia now should not divert our attention from the problems in Kosovo. The situation there remains very difficult and uncertain, and the way to reconciliation is long and full of obstacles.
I believe it is possible.
The strikes declared by workers and the independent trade unions as well as the non-violent revolt by the vast majority of the people who occupied the streets of Belgrade gave the final blow to the last dictatorship in Europe.
Now it is time for reconstruction, to rebuild the economy and the political system. And Serbia needs help.
Democracy has to be restored. International law ensuring the full application of human and trade union rights will have to be ratified and fully incorporated into national legislation.
This must happen now, without delay.
Sanctions must be lifted immediately, and full-scale communication must be restored.
These are pre-conditions to making sure that Serbia comes back into the international community and Europe.
We said already over a year ago, during the NATO bombing, that the long-term solution for the political and economic problems of the Balkans remains the possibility to integrate the whole region as fast as possible into the European Union. A great effort has to be made to start the integration process, which must involve the entire Balkan population.
I am convinced that this will also, to a large extent, contribute to the long-term solution of the Kosovo problem.
Vojislav Kostunica is now president of the country. Nezavisnost, the new trade union of Serbia, supported him.
Expectations on Kostunica are many and he needs time. We can also expect a difficult period of internal fights between various factions of the opposition. Many different groups will attempt to use the trade unions to their own ends.
The trade unions, all of them, will have to maintain their independence and autonomy in order to make sure that workers and their families will benefit from the changes. If this does not happen, they will soon lose their credibility as a democratic and progressive force.
The result would be a major catastrophe for the whole process of democratisation. The trade union which was controlled by the regime until yesterday has to quickly change direction and bring new, fresh blood to its leadership.
The fall of Milosevic has opened the door to new and positive developments which must involve both the new and the old trade unions.
What's happening in Serbia now should not divert our attention from the problems in Kosovo. The situation there remains very difficult and uncertain, and the way to reconciliation is long and full of obstacles.
I believe it is possible.