Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Kosova Independence

I welcome the historic declaration of Kosova independence issued today in Pristina. I urge our friends and allies and around the world to join the United States and European Union countries in promptly recognizing an independent Kosova.

This is a historic step that will allow the people of Kosova to finally live in their own democratic state. It will allow Kosova and Serbia to finally put a difficult chapter in their history behind them and to move forward. Resolving this issue has taken too long and has held both of these proud peoples back from pursuing a better European and Euro-Atlantic future. It is time now for all of us to look ahead and to focus on the challenge of building an independent Kosova and supporting a democratic Serbia in an integrated Europe.

I want to underscore the need to avoid any violence or provocations in the days and weeks ahead. Kosovars and Serbs have seen too much violence and too many provocations in the past. It is time to focus on improving the lives of people living in both countries and the integration of these countries into the West.

In recognizing the independence of Kosova, I want to stress the high importance that I attach to full protection of the rights of all minorities in Kosova, especially the Serbs, and to safeguard Serbian cultural and religious heritage sites in Kosova. The international community must stand firm on these points.

I remain concerned about the deterioration of the situation in neighboring Bosnia and urge the Bush Administration to pay more attention to this issue, so that it does not once again become a major threat to European stability.

I regret that it has taken so long for us to reach this historic juncture and that the Bush Administration has not always given the issues of Kosova, Serbia's democratic future, and the Balkans the attention they deserve. This has helped contribute to the complicated and risky situation on the ground in the Balkans that we still face today. I look forward to working with the democratic leaders in this region and will once again make the full integration of the Western Balkans into Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community the priority it should be.