WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Hina) - Officials of the United States said on Monday the new Serbian government was expected to continue implementing reforms and cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal after Sunday's parliamentary elections,
which were won by far-right parties.
WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Hina) - Officials of the United States said on
Monday the new Serbian government was expected to continue
implementing reforms and cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal
after Sunday's parliamentary elections, which were won by far-right
parties.#L#
The nationalist Radical Party of Vojislav Seselj won the most seats,
81, while the Socialist Party of Serbia of former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic won 22 seats.
Despite their success in the elections, the two parties do not have
enough seats in the 250-member parliament to form a government.
State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said the elections were
free and fair and added that his country expected reforms in Serbia to
continue.
The United States expects parties promoting democratic ideals and
standards to continue economic, judicial and military reforms and
support the full implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, the full
cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal, including the arrest and
transfer of Ratko Mladic, and the strengthening of relations with
neighbouring countries, which would enable Serbia and Montenegro to
continue on the road to Euro-Atlantic institutions, Ereli said.
The US government is committed to helping Serbia and Montenegro in the
difficult but necessary process of transition and looks forward to
cooperating with the new government, Ereli said.
Commenting on the high number of seats won by nationalist parties,
Ereli said that more than 60 percent of the electorate had voted for
the parties promoting democratic standards and that nationalist
parties had won only one third of the vote.
He added he believed the next government would be formed by democratic
transition parties.
Milosevic and Seselj, who are in The Hague standing or awaiting trial
for war crimes, are at the top of their parties' rosters and have the
right to have seats in parliament.
Commenting on Milosevic's success in the elections, Ereli said
Milosevic was now engaged in The Hague, which was all that could be
said about that topic.
(Hina) rml