July 11, 2006
Embassy of the United States of America
Belgrade

Remarks by Ambassador Michael C. Polt Ambassador's Forum, Institute of International Politics and Economics

Ladies and gentlemen, here I am again -- the official American optimist about Serbia. I won't deny that during the last two years, there have been opportunities to succumb to cynicism about your country's future, there have. But I know you will succeed -- once you decide which is the REAL Serbia.

Let me be a bit more provocative and insist that you cannot define your future success with nothing more than assertions of past grievances. Serbia is overdue for "grabbing" the future rather than bemoaning the past. Nor can you wish away your challenges by declaring potential solutions "illegal" demands of a hostile outside world.

So, you might ask, how does this country "grab" the future? My answer is, it's time for the "Hail Mary Pass." Since I don't know how many of you regularly -- or ever -- watch American football, I will explain. In our type of football (the one that is not played with feet at all), a "Hail Mary Pass" is when a losing team makes one final bold attempt at changing the outcome of the game with a daring long shot pass to score a critical goal. Serbia is not a losing team, but let's face it, things are not looking too good at the moment. I suggest it is time for the team to pull together, grab the football, take some risks, and go for the big score.

Serbia's democratic team and its leaders must make the tough calls. Play out the rest of the game conservatively and possibly live with defeat -- or take a chance for a respectable outcome with a bold new approach that offers hope for success. It is time for Serbia to make the decision to be the most successful player in the region. The way to do this is to focus on realistic political options, aggressive free market development, and solid and unwaivering commitment to democratic institutions.

Your "Hail Mary Pass" can gain for you international credibility, jobs, investment and, most importantly, integration. The conservative play is to plow along unsuccessfully on Ratko Mladic, hold fast to a categorical Kosovo policy, and move cautiously on privatization and economic restructuring. Result -- you lose not only the current game, but you disqualify yourself from future competition.

Admittedly, your coaches don't have it easy. The burden of history is heavy, and the risks of a dramatic departure from the standard game plan are considerable. But the risks of holding the losing course are much greater.

Victory in this game is political and economic recovery. To get there you need international confidence and massive private investment.

Here are some suggestions from a sideline coach:

The first issue, the immediate obstacle, is Ratko Mladic. Remove it. We are prepared to believe that some of you want this problem to go away. We are not prepared to accept that you have done all you can do to make it go away. This issue calls for an all out public national effort. Every responsible Serbian citizen needs to join the team. And the leadership coaches have to call the play. You cannot simply argue that you are not getting enough help from the international community and that is a reason for your lack of success.

Serbian citizens want jobs. These do not come from government payments or "socially owned enterprises." They come from solid private investments that grow the private sector and connect you to the global economy. A key criterion for investments is a country's stability defined by its outlook for accession to the European Union and Euro-Atlantic security structures. The final responsibility for this -- as well as the consequences of instability -- is Serbia's, not the international community's.

Once Ratko Mladic is in The Hague, Serbia faces one more, most difficult political test: How to reach an agreement with the leadership in Pristina on the future of Kosovo, and how to reach agreement within Serbia itself on the future of Kosovo. Ultimately, how Serbia's leadership handles that question will have a decisive impact on its people and its path to regional integration and economic prosperity. Closure on Kosovo's future hastens the day when politics is no longer an issue for those who consider investing in Serbia.

You will note that I intentionally have not spoken of "status," but only about Kosovo's "future." Status -- despite the overriding importance attached both in Pristina and Belgrade to this element -- is not nearly as important as the personal, economic, and social condition of the people -- Serbs and all others -- living in Kosovo and in Serbia as a whole.

If this part of Europe is to achieve the prosperity that its citizens demand and deserve; if it is to achieve a level of sustained growth, a rising standard of living and a high degree of integration, then the key political questions must be resolved. This region will have to follow a course that leaves the sins and errors of the past to historians and instead builds regional integration on a foundation of mutual tolerance and the rule of law. Serbia, with its size, its history, and its location, must shoulder the greatest burden of building such regional integration.

The decisions your country's leadership must make in the coming months will be most challenging. If you wish to engage in a real partnership with us, with the Euro-Atlantic community, you will find ready and eager partners. But if you choose to misinterpret shared responsibilities as "pressure" or "conditionality," you will quickly lose yourself in unconstructive rhetoric that will make your transition path harder and your wait for integration longer. None of us have an interest in that. So if you are ready, the United States stands ready to help and to enter into a real partnership.

Throw the ball. The game is almost over.

Ambassador Polt Speaking at IIPE

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