Independence under international supervision best model for Kosovo, U.S. says

PanARMENIAN.Net - A U.S. State Department spokesman, Gonzalo Gallegos, said Monday the U.S. will back the plan drawn up by special UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari giving Kosovo independence under international supervision.



The United States will move forward with a UN plan granting Kosovo independence from Serbia after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement about the status of the breakaway province.



"We continue to believe that implementation of the Ahtisaari plan will promote stability in the region and enable both Serbia and Kosovo to move forward on the Euro-Atlantic path," Gallegos said.



The deadline for negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic majority Albanian leadership expired on Monday without a deal, meaning the United States and European Union could proceed with the Ahtisaari plan. Russia, Serbia's traditional ally, has threatened to block the plan on the Security Council.



"Over the next few weeks the United States will work closely with our international partners to resolve this issue. The people of Kosovo and the region urgently need clarity about their future," Gallegos said, RIA Novosti reports.