A few days ago French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed delaying any decision on Kosovo’s status by six months to give Serbia and Kosovo time to work out a deal.

Independence of Kosovo is very important for neighboring Albania, because Kosovo’s population is largely ethnic-Albanian, but Serbia regards the Kosovo region as the cradle of its cultural history. At the press conference with Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha, Bush said that if diplomats’ efforts did not succeed in changing the status of the overwhelmingly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo, “Sooner, rather than later, you’ve got to say enough is enough, Kosovo is independent.” Russia, which is just as adamantly opposes it, in part because it would set a precedent for other republics or ethnic regions that might seek to break from Moscow, did not comment immediately about Bush’s statements.