Clinton: Agreement will bring new recognitions

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton believes that the Belgrade-Priština agreement will bring about wider recognition of Kosovo.

Hillary Clinton (FoNet, file)

Clinton added that the U.S. would remain committed to Kosovo's independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Clinton dismissed concerns about concessions made to Serbia i.e. citing of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 in the footnote attached to Kosovo's name, adding that this would in fact persuade many U.N. member nations who had not recognized Kosovo to do so.

“U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244 in fact paved the way to Kosovo's independence as it required withdrawal of Serbia's security forces. So I think this is a very smart and clever decision on the part of the Kosovo government,” the U.S. secretary of state told Voice of America (VOA).

Clinton also mentioned the issue of Kosovo at the international conference on Syria held in Tunisia, and expressed satisfaction that the EU had helped the Belgrade-Priština dialogue and that now both countries were moving closer to the European integration.

She reiterated that Serbia's progress toward the EU was good both for Kosovo and the region, adding that it was crucial to remain on the path of peace.