UNITED STATES IN FAVOR OF KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 14:04 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The United States together with other countries
plans to cosponsor a new resolution in the United Nations, which will
allow the Provisional Government of Kosovo to declare independence,"
U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns stated. "We
are now engaged in a period of intense diplomacy to bring about
Kosovo’s independence as soon as possible, on the basis of the United
Nations recommendations," Burns told speaking before the Foreign
Relations Committee of the House of Representatives April 17. Nicholas
Burns occupies the post of Undersecretary for Political Affairs –
the third in State Department hierarchy.
Some lawmakers argued that granting independence to Kosovo would be a
precedent for other regions aiming at separation. Serbia and Kosovar
Serbs are categorically against Kosovo’s independence. Russia too,
which enjoys a veto power in the UN, expressed his concerns.
"I think an outside imposed solution, if the conflicting parties have
not reached an agreement, will at the same time lead to a real war
problem," warned him House Representative democrat from California
Howard Berman.
Burns stressed the United States and his European allies consider
history of Kosovo’s oppression under the rule of late Slobodan
Milosevic a unique situation, which will not create a precedent for
other separatist movements. By Russia’s offer 15 Ambassadors of the
Security Council plan the next week to visit Belgrade and Pristina, as
well as Brussels. "We thought it would be useful for those countries
to meet with Serbian leadership in Belgrade and Albanian and Serbian
leadership in Pristina," Burns informed.
Ambassadors of the Security Council will also meet with NATO
Sec. Gen. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and EU High Representative Spanish
Javier Solana in Brussels.
"After the visit to the region the United States plans within the
coming weeks together with his European allies to introduce a new
resolution in the Security Council, which will replace the existing
1244 that currently states the status of Kosovo. We think after
the adoption of this draft resolution Kosovar leaders will declare
independence. Right after it the United States and other countries
will acknowledge that independence," Burns underlined, U.S. Department
of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs.