Subject: Kostunica calls for patience at Balkans summit
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 6:40:20 PDT
From: C-afp@... (AFP)
Organization: Copyright 2000 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
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SKOPJE, Oct 25 (AFP) - New Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica
called Wednesday for patience as he worked to reform his country,
and declared that that while the Balkans needed the cooperation of
the international community, ultimately it had to sort its affairs
out alone.
Addressing his Balkans colleagues for the first time at a
regional summit here, the new Yugoslav leader said his priorities
included coming to a successful arrangement with Montenegro,
Serbia's junior partner in the Yugoslav federation, as well as
economic restructuring.
"We must be patient and tolerant as well as decisive. None of
this can be realized overnight, or even soon," he told the
conference here.
"The Balkans need peace and stability, Europe needs a peaceful
and stable Balkans. There is only one way -- political dialogue and
economic and other cooperation. Europe and the world can help us
with that, but they cannot talk for us," he said.
Kostunica won Yugoslavia's September 24 presidential elections
and was swept to power on October 5 after a popular revolt against
Slobodan Milosevic. Kostunica is also set to meet with top US
envoy Richard Holbrooke, US ambassador to the UN. This is a
significant meeting due to the key role that the US played in the
NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia last year.
The one-day summit of includes heads of state from Albania,
Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey as well as Yugoslavia.