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Bush acknowledges Kosovo is an independent nation

Kosovars celebrate on a statue that reads ''newborn'' to mark the declaration of independence in Pristina on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

US President George W. Bush yesterday acknowledged that the people of Kosovo were independent, though he stopped short of a formal recognition of the territory's independence.

"We'll watch to see how the events unfold today," Bush said in a live interview aired on NBC television from Arusha, Tanzania. "The Kosovoans [sic] are now independent. It's something I've advocated along with my government."

The breakaway majority Albanian territory declared independence from Serbia on Sunday. Bush was in Tanzania as part of a tour of Africa.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday said Berlin will not take an immediate decision on recognizing Kosovo's independence but wait for the EU to spell out its position.

"We will not take a decision today on recognizing Kosovo's independence. Ministers from the EU will meet today to put in place a platform that will allow each member to take a position on the declaration of independence," she told reporters in Berlin. "So taking a decision on recognition is not on the order of the day. The order of the day is first of all to answers questions of substance as to the EU's platform."

Germany had been expected to formally recognize Kosovo yesterday along with Britain, France, Italy and the US.

Merkel's announcement came as EU foreign ministers held a crisis meeting in Brussels amid signs of behind-the-scenes wrangling over recognition of the new state.

Also See: Kosovo shows Taiwan the way, Su Tseng-chang says
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