19 February 2008
Bush Hails Kosovo Independence
United States urges new Balkan nation to implement U.N. plan fully
Washington -- The United States will work with Kosovo for a peaceful transition to independence and urges officials in Priština to implement fully the plan set out by U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari as they move forward, President Bush says.
"In its declaration of independence, Kosovo committed itself to the highest standards of democracy, including freedom and tolerance and justice for citizens of all ethnic backgrounds," Bush said February 19 in Tanzania while on a tour of five African nations. "These are principles that honor human dignity; they are values America looks for in a friend."
Kosovo declared its independence February 17 after nearly a decade of U.N. administration following the 1999 NATO-led intervention to stop violence against the former Serbian province’s 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority.
Within 24 hours, the United States and many of the EU’s member states extended diplomatic recognition, as did Afghanistan, Australia and Turkey. (See "United States Recognizes Kosovo as Independent State.")
The general-secretary of the 58-member Organization of the Islamic Conference also issued a statement declaring support for Kosovo. The statement was issued during a meeting in Dakar, Senegal.
"It’s the just outcome," Ambassador Frank Wisner, U.S. special envoy for Kosovo, said in a February 18 interview. "It's an outcome that settles the political boundaries of southeastern Europe after the terrible catastrophe of Yugoslavia. It opens a way for Kosovo to begin to develop its own potential."
Kosovo’s declaration represents the culmination of nearly a decade of U.S. diplomatic engagement to promote peace and justice in Kosovo, says Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns. "This is the right decision for us and it’s the right decision if the international community wants to minimize the chance of violence in the future," Burns said February 18.
In 2005, then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Ahtisaari, former president of Finland, as a special envoy charged with mediating 2006 final status talks between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians as called for in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, which ended the Kosovo conflict.
In April 2007, Ahtisaari submitted a Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement, a 12-point plan calling for independence, following a period of international supervision, during which it would continue building strong governing institutions. (See a February 6 fact sheet on the proposal.)
International supervision, led by European Union officials and supported by approximately 17,000 NATO-led peacekeepers is moving forward, Bush said.
Equally important will be Kosovar officials taking quick action to safeguard Serbs and other minority communities in Kosovo, says Burns. "That community has the right to stay in Kosovo, to be citizens of Kosovo, to live peacefully. The Ahtisaari plan asks the government of Kosovo, the new government, to put in place laws and procedures to safeguard the rights of that community," he said.
NATO peacekeepers will play a major role in the process by providing protection to minority communities and Serb cultural sites, if needed. "We take that obligation very seriously," Burns said.
Acknowledging opposition to Kosovo’s declaration of independence from long-time Serb ally Russia, Bush underlined close coordination among officials in Washington, Moscow, and at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, throughout the process, which will continue to be important as the Balkans region seeks to move toward a more secure future.
"The United States supports this move because we believe it will bring peace," Bush said. "And now it's up to all of us to work together to help the Kosovars realize that peace."
