Ahtisaari Plan best solution, Bush says

U.S. President George Bush says that the U.S. believes that supervised independence is the best solution for Kosovo. Asked how the U.S’s support for altering borders in the Balkans by recognizing Kosovo independence would help its own national security, the American president told journalists that the issue of Kosovo had been discussed very thoroughly. Ahtisaari Plan best solution, Bush says “One of the consequences of the wars there, during the rule of Slobodan Milosevic, was the wish of the U.S and other countries of the United Nations to support the so-called Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo’s supervised independence,” Bush said. “It is a difficult issue, I understand. We believe in free societies and believe that this will secure peace in the end,” he explained. The U.S. president added that Washington expected “an independent Kosovo to respect the rights of all minorities within its borders,” in accordance with the Ahtisaari plan, Voice of America reported. George Bush (FoNet, archive) Obama: Kosovo recognition obstacle to possible armed invasion "The United States has recognized Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, just like numerous other countries, which, furthermore, implies also a certain obligation to prevent a military invasion," says U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama. Asked how he would react as U.S. president to a hypothetical armed invasion by Russia on Kosovo, Obama said that the U.S. would not react in alone and would rely on NATO, which he said had "helped stop the conflicts in the Balkans at the time of the Bill Clinton administration", Voice of America said on Thursday. “The U.S. has recognized Kosovo as an independent, sovereign state, just like Great Britain has, and many other countries,” Obama said. This also implied a certain obligation to see that there was no invasion of that state, Obama said in a debate with rival Democrat candidate Hilary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, their last debate ahead of the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4. “Not everything was perfect, but lives were saved,” he said. Obama said they had created conditions not only for Kosovo, but also for other parts of the former Yugoslavia "to build democracy and join the wider European community".

Ahtisaari Plan best solution, Bush says

“One of the consequences of the wars there, during the rule of Slobodan Milošević, was the wish of the U.S and other countries of the United Nations to support the so-called Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo’s supervised independence,” Bush said.

“It is a difficult issue, I understand. We believe in free societies and believe that this will secure peace in the end,” he explained.

The U.S. president added that Washington expected “an independent Kosovo to respect the rights of all minorities within its borders,” in accordance with the Ahtisaari plan, Voice of America reported.

Obama: Kosovo recognition obstacle to possible armed invasion

"The United States has recognized Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, just like numerous other countries, which, furthermore, implies also a certain obligation to prevent a military invasion," says U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Asked how he would react as U.S. president to a hypothetical armed invasion by Russia on Kosovo, Obama said that the U.S. would not react in alone and would rely on NATO, which he said had "helped stop the conflicts in the Balkans at the time of the Bill Clinton administration", Voice of America said on Thursday.

“The U.S. has recognized Kosovo as an independent, sovereign state, just like Great Britain has, and many other countries,” Obama said.

This also implied a certain obligation to see that there was no invasion of that state, Obama said in a debate with rival Democrat candidate Hilary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, their last debate ahead of the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4.

“Not everything was perfect, but lives were saved,” he said. Obama said they had created conditions not only for Kosovo, but also for other parts of the former Yugoslavia "to build democracy and join the wider European community".