Bush said he was worried that expectations were not being met in Kosovo and that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would continue advocating independence for Kosovo in talks with Moscow and US allies in Europe. However, he underlined that "at one moment, sooner rather than later, you've got to say 'Enough's enough. Kosovo's independent'".
According to news agency reports, after his meeting with Albanian leaders, Bush made the clearest statement on the issue of Kosovo so far: "We need to get moving... and the end result is independence".
We cannot negotiate forever about what has already been decided. We believe that Kosovo should be independent, Bush said.
Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku welcomed "President Bush's clear and strong message to Kosovars that independence will come very soon".
The U.S. president also called on Serbia to reconsider its stubborn opposition to Kosovo's independence and think about its future as part of the West.
We want Serbia to hear that the UN supports its aspirations for greater integration with the West. It means working with the United States bilaterally. For example, it also means potential membership in NATO, Bush said at the press conference.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. president held talks with Albanian President Alfred Moisiu and Prime Minister Sali Berisha.
Bush is currently attending a working lunch with Prime Ministers Ivo Sanader of Croatia, Nikola Gruevski of Macedonia, and Sali Berisha of Albania. He is expected to support the three countries of the US-Adriatic Charter in their efforts to join NATO soon.
Bush is the first U.S. president to visit Albania, where he received a hero's welcome, as opposed to numerous protests that accompanied his visits to Germany and Italy earlier this week.
The capital Tirana was decorated with American and Albanian flags, all main roads in the city were closed to traffic, and US flags and Uncle Sam hats were being handed out to people in the streets. Huge posters were displayed saying "Albania Welcomes Bush", "Albania and USA - Proud to Be Partners", and "Bush Visits Albania to Make History".
The Albanian postal service released commemorative stamps with Bush's image.
The U.S. president did not hide satisfaction with such a warm welcome, saying several times that he was very happy to be the first U.S. president to visit Albania and thanking his hosts for the welcome.