[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 7 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[Pages 236-238]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Kosovo and an Exchange With Reporters in Dar es Salaam

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 it's 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

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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].

Kosovo Independence

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

Kosovo 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--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 for Kosovo. A reporter referred to 
President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

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