United Nations

 NEW YORK, 25 September (UN Headquarters) -- Following is a statement issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

 The Secretary-General awaits the outcome of the elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with keen interest.

 He hopes that, in spite of the widely reported irregularities in the electoral process, the outcome will reflect the will of the people, and that it will be respected.

 As he has stressed on many occasions, the political and humanitarian issues of South-eastern Europe cannot be fully addressed without a dialogue with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  He hopes the election result will produce a government with a clear democratic mandate, with which an open and honest dialogue is possible.  This would provide an invaluable opportunity for the country to come back to the international community and to address all the problems of the region in cooperation rather than confrontation.