Thousands Welcome US VP Biden to Kosovo
By VOA News
21 May 2009
Thousands of flag-waving ethnic Albanians jammed the streets of Kosovo's capital Thursday, where they welcomed U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Schoolchildren lined the route from Kosovo's main airport to the city of Pristina. The city was full of posters showing pictures of Biden and banners thanking the United States for supporting Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.
The country's largely ethnic Albanian population also remains fiercely loyal to Washington because the United States led the 1999 NATO bombing campaign of Serbia that ended the Kosovo war.
Biden is meeting President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, during his one-day visit. He is also addressing the Kosovo Assembly and will visit U.S. troops contributing to the NATO peace-keeping mission in Kosovo.
The United States and a host of Western governments endorsed the former Serbian province's declaration of independence, despite strong protests from Belgrade and Russia.
In Serbia Wednesday, Biden called for a "strong new relationship" with the United States. He also said Washington does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence as a "precondition" for backing Belgrade's European Union membership.
He promised the United States would use its influence, energy and resources to promote Belgrade's full EU membership, despite stark differences over Kosovo's status.
Many Serbians view the United States as anti-Serb, with mistrust stemming from the 1999 U.S.-led NATO bombing campaign aimed at ending the deadly Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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