New Kosova Report

US says Kosovo should 'move forward' on independence

Wednesday, 13 February 2008

US Says Kosovo Should 'Move Forward' On Independence

United States of America

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The U.S. said Wednesday that Kosovo "should be able to move forward" toward independence with international support, amid Russian worries about next steps in the province's future.

U.S. President George W. Bush "has long held a position that they should be able to move forward, and that they should be supported by the international community in seeking their independence," said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"And so there's been no change in that position," she said after Moscow called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss plans by Kosovo's separatist leaders to declare independence from Serbia.

Leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority are expected to proclaim independence from Serbia Sunday or Monday, the day of a crucial European Union foreign ministers meeting that will discuss the issue.

The U.S. and numerous E.U. member countries - including the U.K., France, Germany and Italy - have already expressed their intention to quickly recognize Kosovo's independence.

Kosovo has been run by the U.N.s since mid-1999, after a NATO air assault drove out Serbian forces waging a brutal crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanian guerillas and their civilian supporters.