    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [February 19, 2008]
    [Pages 229-230]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Kosovo and an Exchange With Reporters in Dar es Salaam,
    Tanzania
    February 19, 2008

        The President. Good morning. Sunday, the people of Kosovo declared
    their independence. They have asked the United States for diplomatic
    recognition, and yesterday the United States formally recognized Kosovo
    as a sovereign and independent nation.
        In its Declaration of Independence, Kosovo committed itself to the
    highest standards of democracy, including freedom and tolerance and
    justice for citizens of all ethnic backgrounds. These are principles
    that honor human dignity; they are values America looks for in a friend.
    And soon we will establish full diplomatic relations with the new nation
    of Kosovo.
        We will work with the leaders of Kosovo to carry out a smooth and
    peaceful transition to independence. America welcomes Kosovo's pledges
    to fully implement the plan of United Nations Special Envoy
    Ahtisaari and to accept a period of
    international supervision. We encourage Kosovo's leaders to quickly
    adopt the provisions of the Ahtisaari plan, especially those designed to
    safeguard the rights of Kosovo's non-Albanian communities.
        The independence of Kosovo is an historic step for the Balkans
    region. It presents an opportunity to move beyond the conflicts of the
    past and toward a future of freedom and stability and peace. The United
    States and the European Union must seize this opportunity to offer all
    the nations of this region the prospect of integration into the
    political, economic, and security structure of the Euro-Atlantic
    community. In this way, all the people of the Balkans will be able to
    see the promise of a better life for themselves and for their children.
        Thank you. I'll answer a couple of questions. Mark [Mark Knoller,
    CBS Radio].

    Kosovan Independence

        Q. Mr. President, isn't this a poke in the eye to Vladimir Putin and
    the others

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    who say you're approving of secession movements everywhere implicitly?
        The President. Actually, we have been working very closely with the
    Russians, as we have with the Europeans and other nations on the--on
    Kosovo's independence, because we believe it's the right thing to do.
    You know, there's a disagreement, but we believe, as do many other
    nations, that this is--history will prove this to be a correct move to
    bring peace to the Balkans.
        This strategy has been a long time coming. Yesterday, for example,
    we had a--worked out with our European allies the sequencing of it to
    make sure that there was a concerted and constant voice supporting this
    move. The United States supports this move because we believe it will
    bring peace. And now it's up to all of us to work together to help the
    Kosovars realize that peace. And it's important for us to remind Kosovo,
    which I have just done, that they must honor their commitments to
    support the rights of non-Albanians, non-Kosovars' rights inside the
    country.
        Q. Mr. President----
        The President. Excuse me. Hans [Hans Nichols, Bloomberg News].

    Kosovan Independence/Russia

        Q. Yes, Mr. President, thank you very much. When you talk about the
    sequencing of events, did you withhold the endorsement, the recognition,
    and wait until this morning for any particular reasons or as a favor to
    the Russians?
        The President. No. Hans, as I told you, we worked with the European
    nations. We had--this strategy was well planned. And the endorsement, by
    the way, wasn't held until this morning; it was issued last night by the
    State Department, as I mentioned in my remarks.
        But it was a way for us to create an effect that showed that the
    world was meant--many in the world were very supportive of the
    independence of Kosovo. Our position has been very clear all along. At
    the G-8, for example, I expressed--or in Albania, I expressed my
    position very clearly, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody.
        What you may be interested in knowing is that we have been in close
    consultation with the Russians all along. This wasn't a surprise to
    Russia. And, you know, today's announcement is simply putting an
    exclamation point onto a series of announcements that have been made
    over the last 24 hours.
        Thank you all very much. See you in Rwanda.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:24 a.m. at Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski
    Dar es Salaam. In his remarks, he referred to former President Martti
    Ahtisaari of Finland, United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-
    General for the Future Status Process of Kosovo. A reporter referred to
    President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.