Kosova: US President Takes Strong Stance
US President Bush has insisted that independence remains the only acceptable option for Kosova, urging a conclusion to ongoing discussions.
Below is an article written by Andrew Ward, Neil MacDonald, and Neil,Buckleyin, and published by the Financial Times:
The comments put Mr Bush on a fresh collision course with President Vladimir Putin, who has threatened to veto any United Nations resolution setting Kosovo free from
During a visit to neighbouring
The remark appeared to raise the possibility of the
Yesterday [10 June 2007] a senior Russian official said
"Kosovo is an inviolable part of
Washington has grown increasingly impatient with slow-moving UN efforts to set Kosovo on a path towards independence, eight years after the Nato campaign to end Serbian "ethnic cleansing" of the Albanian majority in the province.
"The question is whether or not there is going to be endless dialogue on a subject that we have made up our mind about," said Mr Bush. "We believe Kosovo ought to be independent."
Deadlock over Kosovo has combined with disagreement over the proposed
Mr Bush has sought to ease Mr Putin's concern over the anti-missile system by agreeing to "strategic dialogue" on possible Russian participation. But yesterday's comments indicated a tougher
Mr Bush said he and most G8 colleagues wanted a process that guaranteed "certain independence" and that "continued drift" would risk sparking fresh unrest in Kosovo.
"The time is now," he said, repeating an earlier call for a UN deadline.
Muhamet Hamiti, a senior adviser to Fatmir Sejdiu, Kosovo's president, welcomed Mr Bush's "un-ambiguous support". He expressed confidence that an international deal would be reached, but refused to rule out a unilateral declaration of independence if diplomacy at the UN failed.