Fifth Anniversary of the Death of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic

March 12, 2008

Zoran Djindjic was a Serbian patriot in the truest sense of the word. In the turbulent days following the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic, he brought his powerful vision of social, economic and democratic reform to a deeply divided nation. Courageously, and in the face of bitter nationalist opposition, he worked to bring Serbia into the transatlantic family of nations.

Today, five years after his tragic murder, Prime Minister Djindjic's vision is not fully achieved. Serbia is again at a crossroads. One path -- Djindjic's path -- leads to integration with Europe and western institutions where enlightened Serbian leaders, with a sense of responsibility as strong as their sense of pride, can bring Serbia at last to its rightful place among the great nations of the world. The other path is an angry retreat to a brooding past, where harmful rhetoric and empty phrases substitute for national greatness.

Prime Minister Djindjic's vision did not die with him. There are forces today committed to building a Serbia that is democratic, market-oriented, and guided by the rule of law. We believe the democratic spirit reawakened by Zoran Djindjic in 2000 is alive today, and that it will free Serbia to seize the future while honoring its past.

America remembers Zoran Djindjic as a true friend and courageous leader of his people.