Dear citizens of Novi Sad, dear citizens of Vojvodina, dear bridge builders!

The worst 11 weeks since World War II are behind us, in which the most brutal aggression was carried out by the largest military machinery ever created in the world.

Our people, with their historic struggle and unity, succeeded in defending their country and obtaining the guarantees for its territorial integrity, identity and legal sovereignty from the United Nations, which enables us to continue to solve the problems that remain in the southern Serbian province under the auspices of the United Nations.

After this aggression, nobody will ever be able to hide the truth about our people and our country, which has been successfully falsified for almost a decade, and which so successfully demonized our people only to find a justification for the violence to which they were subjected.

Milosevic receives a warm welcome in Vojvodina

Owing to their heroism, not only did our people manage to defend the country successfully, but they also managed to destroy this false image that was being created for such a long time, like a house of cards, and nobody will ever be able to hide the truth again.

Now that peace has been restored, we are looking forward to new tasks. These tasks, in short, are the country's reconstruction. It is not by chance that the reconstruction is commencing here, with the Novi Sad bridges, the Vojvodina bridges, because there is symbolism to it.

Symbolic start to reconstruction

Bridges link people. These bridges link Vojvodina with other parts of Serbia. These bridges symbolize links among people, the most valuable characteristic of the multinational Vojvodina, which is a microcosm of Yugoslavia, and which, I would say, is a microcosm of Europe, with its 25 nationalities that live together and present a model for other states and other regions of how people can live together in such a multinational community.

In that sense, and because of that, it is both logical and just to have the reconstruction of our country commence precisely here.

Milosevic:'Bridges symbolise links between people'

The significance of this highway does not need to be emphasized here again. This is the European route number 10, which will become usable again, as our builders promised me when we discussed it, in 40 days' time. That is, in 40 days the flow of traffic will be restored on this main bridge.

Let me reveal the secret right away - of course it is impossible to carry out these works in 40 days, but it is possible now because, even while bombs were falling, the builders were secretly preparing blocks that will now be built into the bridge. And they were preparing it so that, when peace is restored, traffic can resume as soon as possible.

I congratulate them on this, and I am certain that in 40 days, and I am sure not longer, we will be able to cross this bridge.

I wish our country and our people successful and speedy reconstruction. I wish the builders of this bridge and of all other bridges much success in their work. I wish the farmers a successful harvest, and children a nice holiday.

I declare the work on the reconstruction of our country open. Your health!