§ Mr. RoyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the status of negotiations on the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. [106134]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe Constitutional Charter of state union of Serbia and Montenegro was adopted by the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 4 February 2003.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed the Balkans at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on 18–19 March 2003. The issue was also discussed at the European Council on 21 March 2003. The UK and EU partners condemned the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and reinforced our support for Serbia and Montenegro in the fight against organised crime and war criminals and for SaM's further integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. The GAERC welcomed SaM's accession into the Council of Europe on 3 April 2003.