Other State Department Archive Sites

The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released online from January 1, 1997 to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for current material from the Department of State. Or visit http://2001-2009.state.gov for information from that period. Archive sites are not updated, so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
February 9, 1999

Secretary’s Call to Montenegrin President Djukanovic

On February 9 Secretary Albright called Montenegrin President Djukanovic to thank him for his government's continued support for international efforts to resolve the Kosovo crisis. The Secretary noted the constructive role Montenegro had played throughout the crisis and praised Montenegro for leading the way on democratization and economic reform in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).

The Secretary took this opportunity to assure President Djukanovic that Montenegro's concerns would be kept in mind at the Kosovo settlement talks in Rambouillet, France. In his February 5 letter to the Secretary, President Djukanovic had stressed his government's support for any political settlement reached by the two parties that did not affect Montenegro's constitutional position in the FRY.

Finally, the Secretary assured President Djukanovic that world attention on the Kosovo situation does not mean FRY President Milosevic has a free hand to cause problems elsewhere in the FRY or the region.

[end of document]