by Laurent Lozano
from AFP

TIRANA (AFP) - US President George W. Bush Sunday pushed for the speedy independence of Kosovo from Serbia, despite Russia’s vehement opposition, as he staged a landmark visit to Albania.

Bush, the first US leader to visit Albania — the penultimate leg of his European tour — said the days of “endless dialogue” on Albanian-majority Kosovo were over and signaled that Washington’s patience was wearing thin.

“We need to get moving and the end result is independence,” Bush said at a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in the capital Tirana.

“If not, we’re going to have to move. Independence is the goal,” he said, adding that he had asked the Albanian prime minister to “work with the leaders in Kosovo to maintain calm during these final stages of Kosovo’s final status process.”

It was the latest issue to heighten tensions between Washington and Moscow, which vehemently opposes independence for the breakaway Serbian province.

Ties between the United States and Russia have already cooled over Washington’s plan to set up a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe which Russia says could fuel a new arms race on the continent.

Bush, the first US leader to visit Albania, said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would work hard to secure a resolution palatable to the UN Security Council, including veto-carrying Russia.

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