Kosovo President Expects Membership in International Financial Organizations

PRESS RELEASE - Washington, D.C., July 21, 2008 – Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, in advance of a meeting with President Bush today, praised the United States for supporting his country and said he expects the new nation will soon gain membership in international financial institutions.

Sejdiu, in a live interview with the VOA Albanian Service on Saturday, also said Kosovo will "be very responsible for every penny in the budget" given to the country at a donors' conference earlier this month. Referring to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, he said, "We expect to get membership in the international financial institutions."

The United States, which has given Kosovo more than $1 billion in bilateral aid since 1998, pledged more than $400 million dollars in new aid over the next three years at the donors' conference.

On Friday Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who promised continued support for Kosovo.

Thaçi, in a separate interview with VOA on Sunday, said the Kosovo officials planned to tell Bush today, "Kosovo will remain dedicated in the war against global terrorism, against fundamentalism, against organized crime and corruption." He said Kosovo maintains a "clear pro-western vision, as well as excellent relations with the United States."

Kosovo, a U.N.-administered territory since 1999, declared independence in February 2008. It has been recognized by 43 countries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Russia, China, India and Serbia are among the countries that have not recognized Kosovo.

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