US President supportive to Kosovo’s majority 'dream' for independence

22/06/2006
US President George W. Bush said he is going to tell to Serbian Prime Minister that the solution of Kosovo status must meet the will of (Ethnic Albanian) majority for independence.

“We believe that dialogue between Serbia and those who aspire for an independent country in Kosovo need to be ongoing, in such a way that there is a resolution that meets the needs of the majority, and at the same time, enhances minority rights inside Kosovo,” Bush said in a roundtable with Foreign Students held in Austrian capital of Vienna, on Wednesday (21 June).

“To this end, we're working with our European partners to try to just bring a sense of stability and a sense of calm so that a rational solution can be worked out, and so that the people, the Kosovars can realize dreams,” Bush added.

US president said he is going to transmit the position of Washington on the future status of Kosovo to Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica soon.

“The Prime Minister of Serbia will be coming to the United States shortly and we will work with him to urge him to listen to the needs of the Kosovars, and at the same time, assure him that our policy is to guarantee minority rights,“ he explained.

Kostunica is expected also to meet in London next week the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

UK is at the same position with US on the Kosovo status solution.

Ethnic Albanians who represent around 90 percent of Kosovo population insist on independence but Serbia and Serbian minority in Kosovo are against.

Serbian government recently has been lobbying to Russia and China against the independence of Kosovo.

Russian and China governments on Tuesday told other members of Security Council that the solution on Kosovo’s status should be find through a compromise between Belgrade and Prishtina, signalling their disagreements to US and UK support for a status according the will of Ethnic Albanian majority of UN administrated territory for independence.

Direct UN mediated talks on the status between Serbian authorities and the Ethnic Albanian leadership of Kosovo are expected to begin in July.

If talks between Belgrade and Prishtina aren’t going to produce any compromise then the issue will be send to the UN Security Council.

Western diplomats have said, however, that Moscow and Beijing will not impose their veto on independence.