The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Arusha (Tanzania)

President Bush on Monday hailed Kosovo's bold and historic bid for statehood, saying "The Kosovars are now independent."

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership announced its independence from Serbia over the weekend, and suspense gripped the province on Monday as its citizens awaited key backing from the United States and key European powers.

"It's something that I've advocated along with my government," Bush said in an interview on NBC's "Today."

By appealing directly to the U.S. and other nations for recognition, Kosovo's independence set up a showdown with Serbia - outraged at the imminent loss of its territory - and Russia. In Washington Monday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement:

"The United States is reviewing this issue and discussing it with its European partners. t The United States calls on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any provocative act." The department said it planned an additional statement later Monday.

Kosovo had formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, when NATO airstrikes ended former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists, which killed 10,000 people.