US&Germany:Kosovo’s development as an independent state must be allowed
12 April 2008 | 17:57 |
Source: Tanjug
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. and EU are Serbia’s friends, but that Kosovo’s development as an independent state must be allowed.
“Both the U.S. and Germany have recognized Kosovo. We want a stable Balkans where Serbs will understand that they have good friends in the U.S. and the EU, but we must allow the development of Kosovo as an independent state,” said Rice at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier.
Steinmeier added that the Balkans needed to be stable, and that in this respect, Kosovo’s stability was vital, which, as he put it, was not such an easy task, reports Voice of America.
“Obviously, at the moment, the key question is Kosovo’s stability in the Balkans, which is not such an easy task. Particularly, now ahead of parliamentary elections in Serbia, when the nationalists are trying to exploit this, and upset the pro-European atmosphere in Serbia. I hope that that idea won’t materialize,” said the German foreign minister.
Rice and Steinmeier broached a number of world challenges, including North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programs.