The United Nations on Wednesday welcomed the Republic of
Montenegro as its 192nd member of the United Nations.
Montenegro was admitted as the new member states Wednesday
morning by a General Assembly resolution adopted by acclamation,
upon recommendation by the Security Council.
Filip Vujanovic, President of Montenegro, delivered his country's
first statement to the Assembly, saying that by becoming a UN
member state, Montenegro had assumed a challenge and responsibility
to actively support international peace building, peacekeeping,
conflict resolution and humanitarian efforts.
He added that Montenegro attached special importance to good
neighborly relations, and particularly wanted to further develop
close cooperation with Serbia.
Meanwhile, Slavko Kruljevic, Deputy Permanent Representative of
Serbia, said he was pleased to see a country, with which Serbia had
friendly and close ties, becoming a member of the United Nations,
and promised Serbia would seek friendly bilateral relations with
Montenegro.
There was a flag-raising ceremony minutes after the Montenegrin
delegation had been escorted by UN protocol officers to its seats
in the General Assembly - next to Mongolia and behind
Madagascar.
"The people of Montenegro demonstrated that adherence to
democratic values and the rule of law offer the most effective way
to achieve political goals," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said
at the ceremony that followed the country's admission.
"And they showed that even the most difficult and sensitive
problems can be resolved peacefully. These are especially important
messages given the violent past in the Balkan region," he
added.
Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly, expressed
confidence that the country would work for strong regional
cooperation in the Western Balkans, promoting stability in the
area.
The Security Council issued a formal presidential statement on
Thursday, recommending that the General Assembly admit Montenegro,
which held a referendum on May 21, to become independent from
Serbia.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)
