Clinton wraps up Balkans tour with Kosovo visit

[October 13, 2010]  PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton got a rapturous welcome from large pro-American crowds in the capital of Kosovo on Wednesday as she closed out a three-nation tour of the restive, ethnically splintered Balkans.

Thousands of people, many waving U.S. flags, lined Clinton's motorcade route from Pristina's airport to the city center that included a long stretch on Bill Clinton Boulevard. It's named for the man many Kosovars revere for spearheading the 1999 NATO airstrikes on Serbia aimed at ending a brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists here.

In between occasional billboards with Hillary Clinton's picture proclaiming "Welcome," Clinton stopped her car at a square where an 11-foot gold statue of her husband stands. Amid cheers, Clinton got out and inspected the statue, smiling broadly and posing for photos while waving at a crowd of roughly 1,000 gathered there.

"It's so great to be here," she said, wading into the throng to shake hands before she found a tribute of her own: a small women's clothing store called "Hillary," where she was given a jacket as a gift.

People in the crowd sought out members of Clinton's party, saying "Thank you America," and shaking their hands while others carried signs expressing appreciation. "People thank you, U.S.A., family Clinton. Thank you, Hillary," read one.

From the statue, Clinton went immediately into meetings with the leaders of Kosovo, the world's newest nation at just two years old. After those talks, she will visit the nearby Serb-majority town of Gracanica, site of a historic Serb Orthodox monastery, to stress the importance of inclusion.

Clinton arrived in Kosovo from Serbia, which refuses to recognize the independence of its former province that seceded in 2008 after years of communal strife. Clinton is pressing leaders in both countries to set aside their differences and promote tolerance between Kosovo's minority Serbs and the ethnic Albanian majority.

In Belgrade on Tuesday, Clinton said rapprochement between Serbia and Kosovo, combined with Serbian political reform, would put Serbia on the path to European Union membership, a role that it could use to anchor stability throughout southeastern Europe.

"That dialogue can and will benefit people in Kosovo and Serbia by addressing practical, day-to-day issues and the long-term relationship between you," she said after meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic. "It will also have a positive impact on the relationship between Serbia, your neighbors, Europe and the United States."

Tadic said he is ready for talks, called for last month by the U.N. Security Council. But leaders in Kosovo have sought a delay, saying negotiations would be more productive after elections expected early next year.

Although Tadic stressed he wants the talks to begin "as soon as possible," he also insisted that Serbia would never accept Kosovo's 2008 secession, which has been recognized by most of the countries of the European Union and ruled legal by the International Court of Justice in July.

"Serbia is not going to recognize the independence of Kosovo," Tadic said. "However, we respect the rights of the Albanian people and, by respecting Albanian rights, we defend our own rights in Kosovo."

Clinton made no secret of the fact that Washington and Belgrade are at odds over Kosovo.

"There are areas, as the president said, where we will not agree and foremost among them is Kosovo," she said.

[Associated Press; By MATTHEW LEE]

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