US opens embassy in Kosovo, Rice calls Ban ahead of Moscow visit

"This opening underscores the United States' goodwill and our desire to build a strong bilateral relationship with Kosovo, and the Embassy will be at the center of our efforts to strengthen our shared commitment to freedom, opportunity, and multiethnic democracy in Kosovo," the State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

United States officials said that the opening of an embassy in Kosovo presents a clear signal that Washington has no plans to soften its stance on the volatile status issue, despite the fact that support for province's  independence had created a rift in relations with Russia.

Washington is also determined to see the end of the United Nations mission in Kosovo by mid-June, according to the status proposal drafted by former Finish President Martti Ahtisaari, but the plan might be derailed by Russia's stubborn objections to one-sided moves.

In that matter, US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice telephoned the UN chief Ban Ki-moon ahead of his trip to Moscow in apparent attempt to prevent any  kind of deal between troubled Secretary-General and Russian leaders.

The US was one of the first states to recognize Kosovo's independence and widely seen as the main sponsor of Kosovo Albanian's quest for statehood on the international political scene, which seriously harmed Washington's relations with Belgrade.

The US opened a liaison office back in 1999, but the latest move turned the de-facto embassy into full-fledged diplomatic office, and has marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between two countries.

"The opening of the Embassy reflects a new phase of our development and underlines our deep commitment to work for the progress of Kosovo and its people. We vow that these efforts will continue and intensify in the coming years," the head of US office in Pristina Tina Kaidanow.

Kaidanow will be heading the new embassy until Washington appoints the ambassador.

Washington's move was warmly welcomed by Kosovo Albanian leaders, including the President Fatmir Sejdiu and Premier Hashim Thaci.

"Kosovo has a history of special relations with the United States of America and those relations were carved through the stormiest periods of our existence," Sejdiu said, adding that Kosovo is set to open its embassy in Washington soon.

Meanwhile, one of the crafters of the Ahtisaari plan, Albert Rohan, warned that the plan for Kosovo's ‘supervised independence' is on the verge of failure.

"I am not happy with the ethnic segregation in Kosovo," Rohan said, adding that "unfortunately, multi-ethnicity does not have an integrative perspective."

"If Serbs continue to rebuff the plan, then most of the Ahtisaari plan will not be possible to implement (...)
Ahtisaari's plan was a compromise solution that Belgrade rejected because it was based on independence, and the Kosovo people, who were dissatisfied, accepted it as the price to pay for their much desired independence," Rohan claimed.

In Brussels, EU High Representative Javier Solana said the Eulex mission would be deployed in all of Kosovo, but added that "adjustments" would have to be worked out in northern Kosovo due to the situation on the ground.

He said particular attention should be given to the May 11 Serbian elections, which will for the first time be held at the municipal level in the Serbian areas of Kosovo.

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