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09/19/00 Text: State Department's Napper at Conference on Southeast Europe (Sept. 13 remarks to SE Europe Energy and Transportation Conference) Although the United States does not believe the September 24 elections in Serbia will be fair, it sees the elections "as an important opportunity" and encourages the opposition to participate, the State Department's Larry Napper told Southeast European and U.S. officials and businesspeople attending the Southeast Europe Energy and Transportation Conference in Philadelphia September 13. "We do believe that, even under [Yugoslav President Slobodan] Milosevic's rules, the opposition can do well and can emerge as a strong movement for democracy in all of Yugoslavia," said Napper, who is coordinator of the State Department's Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Program. The conference, sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), informed U.S. companies and energy and transportation ministers from Southeast Europe about energy and transportation projects moving through the financial pipelines at the World Bank and other financial institutions. Democracy, peace and stability are key to the transformation of Southeast Europe, Napper said. "Our task is to build solid democracies, uphold shared standards of human rights, open borders to trade and investment, and give reason for the people of Southeast Europe to hope for a better life." He added that "democratic transformation in Southeast Europe must be accompanied by economic revitalization and integration of the entire region into European and Atlantic institutions. That is the fundamental premise of the Stability Pact." Napper urged the Southeast European countries and the Stability Pact participating governments and organizations to work together against corruption, organized crime, and trafficking in human beings. He also described the United States' SEED (Support for East European Democracy) assistance program, noting that President Clinton has requested $610 million in SEED assistance for Southeast Europe in FY 2001." But the availability of these funds, Napper acknowledged, "depends entirely on the outcome of the appropriations endgame now underway in Washington." Following is the text of Ambassador Napper's remarks: Ambassador Larry Napper REMARKS TO SOUTHEAST EUROPE ENERGY AND TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE This is truly a special occasion. The presence of the Stability Pact Coordinator, Ambassadors, ministers, and distinguished guests from Southeast Europe as well as representatives of some of America's foremost companies attests to the powerful persuasive qualities of our host and my good friend Joe Grandmaison. Under Joe's dynamic leadership, TDA [U.S. Trade and Development Agency] has been at the cutting edge of America's efforts to work with our Allies and our partners to stabilize, transform, and integrate Southeast Europe into the transatlantic community. Together we are committed to do in Southeast Europe what we did in Western Europe after World War II and in Central Europe after the Cold War. Our task is to build solid democracies, uphold shared standards of human rights, open borders to trade and investment, and give reason for the people of Southeast Europe to hope for a better life. We are determined to create a spirit of common endeavor to make peace and prosperity durable and war unthinkable. It will not be quick or easy. It will require resources and sustained engagement. But the alternative is continued conflict and tragedy that would threaten the achievements of generations of Europeans and Americans, who have worked and sacrificed to build a Europe whole and free. As President Clinton said it his letter to the funding conference of the Stability Pact last March "the nations of Southeast Europe must take the lead in working together to achieve their destiny." At the same time, donor countries and the international financial institutions must be ready to provide concrete support for these reform efforts. This conference is an important next step in this vital partnership. It also gives us a welcome opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and what remains to be done. Transformation and integration in Southeast Europe cannot take place in the absence of peace and stability. This is the lesson of a decade of conflicts that have torn the region since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The primary responsibility for the Balkan wars of the past decade lies with Slobodan Milosevic, who has waged war, orchestrated the greatest mass human rights violations in Europe since World War II, and honed the horrific tactic of ethnic cleansing. Even today, Milosevic continues to use his time-tested tactics of intimidation against Montenegro. Thankfully, Milosevic has not had the last word in Southeast Europe. First in Bosnia and then in Kosovo, NATO has acted forcefully to reverse ethnic cleansing, to bring ethnic conflict to a halt, and to give ordinary people an opportunity to put their lives back together. The United States and its Allies and partners maintain forces in Bosnia and Kosovo to keep the peace and promote stability. The United States and NATO have forces in the region that can respond to any contingency. We must also work together to deal with emerging challenges that threaten regional security and prosperity, including corruption, organized crime and trafficking in human beings. We strongly support the regional response to these challenges that is beginning to gather momentum in initiatives such as the SECI [Southeast European Cooperative Initiative] anti-crime center in Bucharest and the Stability Pact's anti-corruption initiative. The United' States bilateral assistance program is working to strengthen the rule of law, the efficiency and professionalism of police and customs services, and the effectiveness of anti-organized crime efforts throughout Southeast Europe. The rule of law is not only a moral imperative. It is also essential to trade, investment, and prosperity and to the hopes of the nations of Southeast Europe to take their rightful place in the European family. Just as peace and stability are vital to the future of Southeast Europe, democracy is the key to the region's transformation. This fall, elections throughout the region will give the people an opportunity to choose their leaders and chart their future. As 2000 began, the people of Croatia showed the region and the world how a dramatic positive transformation could be accomplished when the people have an opportunity to choose their leaders in a free and fair election. We are especially gratified that on October 28 the people of Kosovo will for the first time have the opportunity to vote in a free and fair ballot under international supervision. We want the people of Serbia to have the same opportunity in elections scheduled in that country on September 24. We do not believe that these elections will be fair. But we do believe that, even under Milosevic's rules, the opposition can do well and can emerge as a strong movement for democracy in all of Yugoslavia. The United States does not support or endorse any candidate in the September 24 elections. We do encourage the people of Serbia to take advantage of this admittedly flawed opportunity because we believe it is vital that all Serbs who oppose Milosevic's dictatorial rule express that opposition in the voting booth. We strongly believe that independent and opposition media should be allowed to operate freely and that impartial election monitors be allowed to play their appropriate role in ensuring a fair ballot. We see even these flawed elections as an important opportunity because we look forward to the day when Serbia, with a government elected through open, honest and fair elections, will find itself welcome in the Euro-Atlantic community and its institutions Democratic transformation in Southeast Europe must be accompanied by economic revitalization and integration of the entire region into European and Atlantic institutions. That is the fundamental premise of the Stability Pact. The pace of integration is beginning to quicken in Southeast Europe. In 2000, Croatia and Albania completed the process of accession to the World Trade Organization. Croatia joined the Partnership for Peace, leaving Serbia as the only nation in Southeast Europe without a productive partnership relationship with NATO. The European Union has begun accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania and is discussing cooperation and association agreements with other countries of the region. Both the European Union and the United States are actively working on legislation is facilitate access of Southeast European exports to their markets. The United States strongly supports these hopeful trends and will continue to promote integration of the nations of Southeast Europe into European and global multilateral institutions. Integration is also the paramount objective of the United States SEED [Support for East European Democracy] assistance program. In the decade since 1989, eight Central and Northern European countries have graduated from our bilateral assistance program, having made dramatic progress in consolidating democracy, market economic reforms and the rule of law. We are confident that our partners in Southeast Europe will achieve similar results and we are committed to working with them to that end. In the meantime, the President has requested $610 million in SEED assistance for Southeast Europe in FY 2001. Let me give you one small example of what SEED assistance can achieve. Last year, we allocated a very modest amount of SEED funding, approximately $1 million, to help three of our foremost U.S. economic agencies establish a joint presence in Southeast Europe. TDA, OPIC and EXIM joined forces to establish a joint office in Zagreb and went to work. Their purpose was to serve you, American firms operating in Southeast Europe, and to encourage the countries of the region to establish business climates conducive to investment by American and European firms. In just the few months since this new office opened, OPIC [Overseas Private Investment Corporation] has signed a new $150 million dollar equity fund for investment in Southeast Europe. Since January 2000, TDA's regional representative has made 23 business development trips and over 700 contacts with business, government, and international organizations. All this activity has generated an unprecedented level of TDA activity that will lead to concrete deals with many of the firms and all the countries represented at this conference. EXIM [Export-Import Bank of the United States] has similarly expanded its presence and impact in the region to the benefit of all. We want to continue this expansion of cooperation with Southeast Europe and service to American business in the coming year. Our embassies in the region and throughout the world want to continue to serve you at their current very high capacity and effectiveness. However, our ability to do so depends entirely on the outcome of the appropriations endgame now underway in Washington. We believe strongly that America's national interest is served by the relatively modest investment that it takes to adequately fund our foreign affairs budget. The prudent investment we make in funding our foreign policy is critical to America's global leadership and to maintenance of the peace and prosperity we enjoy today. (end text)
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