[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 25]
[House]
[Page 34081]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  2115
                 SUPPORT FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to once again express my 
support for the independence of Kosovo, which is a nation in the 
Balkans, 90 percent ethnic Albanian country that has struggled a great 
deal and is now on the verge of independence.
  I would like to put a little history in perspective. The former 
Yugoslavia has broken up, and much of the components of the former 
Yugoslavia have become independent nations. I have long argued that so, 
too, the people of Kosovo deserve to be an independent country.
  There have recently been negotiations in which the United States and 
Russia and the European Union, called the Troika, have taken part, 
negotiations between Serbia and the Kosovar Albanians. And just 2 days 
ago, on December 10, after 120 days of negotiations, it has been found 
that no agreement could be reached. So now the question remains that, 
since no agreement was reached, what should happen?
  I say that Kosovo should very soon declare its independence, and that 
the United States and the European Union and other freedom-loving 
countries should recognize the new nation of Kosovo. There is a plan 
called the Atasari plan which was put together by the Scandinavian 
diplomat that has been blocked in the United Nations because of Russian 
threats and intransigence. The Atasari plan, which grants supervised 
independence to Kosovo, should be immediately implemented.
  And when the people of Kosovo declare their independence, that 
Attasari plan should be implemented again with the European Union and 
the United States recognizing the newly formed nation.
  This should come soon after the first of the year, perhaps a few 
weeks or months into the new year, and I intend to be in Pristina, the 
capital of Kosovo, when independence is finally declared and accepted.
  I rise because I think that the United States plays a very vital role 
and does play and has played a very vital role, and the people of 
Kosovo trust the United States to be there and be their friends. I want 
to say to the people of Kosovo that the United States has always been 
your friend and will continue to be your friend.
  The long and troubled history of the Balkans we all know; wars 
started there, world wars started there, and I think perhaps a little 
history to where we got to where we are now.
  In 1999, basically every Kosovar Albanian, 2 million were driven out 
by the then-dictator of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, and the United 
States came to the rescue and bombed and helped prevent ethnic 
cleansing in the area. So when the Kosovar Albanians came back, they 
found that virtually every one of their homes were burned, some to the 
ground and beyond recognition.
  The country has been building itself up since then, but only 
independence can get the country on the right track. Since that time, 
the United Nations and the UNMIK forces of the United Nations have been 
governing Kosovo sort of as an international governance. But the time 
for that is over. The people of Kosovo need to know that there is a 
future and they need to know that they, like other peoples in the 
world, can lead their own nation to freedom and democracy.
  So, again, I rise here to once again offer my support for the people 
of Kosovo, for the independence of Kosovo, to tell them that the United 
States will stand behind them, and I hope that shortly after the first 
of the year again the U.S. will be among the first countries to 
recognize the new independent nation of Kosovo. They are going to need 
our help and we will continue to give it to them.

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