Bolton urges the US not to recognize a unilateral declaration of independence
Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton has voiced hope that the U.S. will not acknowledge a unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence, adding that the Kosovo issue should be resolved at the negotiating table.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, November 01, 2007
"I hope that the U.S. will not recognize a unilateral proclamation of Kosovo's independence, although things seem to be heading in that direction, and I fear that this could do more damage than good to the Balkans. Such a decision, made under the threat of violence, would be a way of rewarding bad behavior," Bolton said.
"I think the last thing we should do is sow the seeds of future conflicts by giving in to pressure from one side or the other," Bolton said.
He believes that the reason for U.S. support for Kosovo's independence is a stand inherited from the 1990s, i.e. the policy of the previous administration, when parts of the former Yugoslavia for legitimate and historical reasons wanted independence and their own path to democracy.
"This trend has continued, so now you have ever smaller entities demanding independence, and that kind of policy is contrary to democracy. I think that is now much more visible in Europe than here in the U.S.," Bolton said.
