Washington: The United States today formally recognised Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state and pledged to be its friend and partner. The formal announcement was made by the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice through a statement.

"The United States today formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state. We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion. "President (George) Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries.

The establishment of these relations will reaffirm the special ties of friendship that have linked together the people of the United States and Kosovo," Rice said in her statement. Nine years ago, the international community, led by NATO, acted to end brutal attacks on the Kosovar Albanian population.

This timely international intervention ended the violence, leading to a United Nations Security Council decision to suspend Belgrades governance and place Kosovo under interim UN administration. Since that time Kosovo has built its own democratic institutions separate from Belgrades control.

Last year, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari developed a plan to build a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo and recommended Kosovo be independent, subject to a period of international supervision. "In light of the conflicts of the 1990s, independence is the only viable option to promote stability in the region.

The United States supports the Ahtisaari Plan and will work with its international partners to help implement it," Rice maintained while rejecting the argument of Russia that Kosovo could be the precedent setter for secessionist movements globally.

Source : PTI