Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Future Status of Kosovo

[The Straight Story]

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Future Status of Kosovo

On December 10, the US-EU-Russian troika seeking a mutually acceptable settlement of the future status of Kosovo will make its report to the United Nations and to the world.

Given the current position of the Russian government, it is unlikely that any agreement will be reached. If this is the case, I believe that further delay would be highly inadvisable. This process, which started far too late thanks to the neglect of the Bush Administration in its first term, has run its course. With Russia threatening to veto any arrangement submitted to the U.N. Security Council, we must be prepared to strongly support the will of the majority of the people of Kosovo. If the government in Pristina decides for independence, I would strongly support prompt U.S. recognition, and I would urge the European Union to do the same. I also congratulate the people of Kosovo on the orderly, peaceful election they have just completed.

In supporting the independence of Kosovo, I want to stress the high importance that I attach to full protection of the rights of all minorities in Kosovo, especially the Serbs. This is an absolute necessity as Kosovo goes forward.

I am also concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Bosnia. Twelve years after the Dayton Agreement ended that war, a combination of American neglect, European Union weakness, and Russian and Serbian obstructionism threatens the stability and future of Bosnia. I urge the Administration to pay more attention to this issue, so that it does not once again become a major threat to European stability, especially at the same time as the Kosovo situation approaches a historic juncture.

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=288032&&

[Joanne98]

1. Kosovo is in The Shock Doctrine!