US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Thursday called on the incoming administration of President-elect George W. Bush to uphold current policies on the Balkans and Iraq.
Albright noted that Iraq and the promotion of a democratic Europe had been priorities during the presidency of Bush's father, and urged his son and his foreign policy team led by incoming secretary of state Colin Powell, to give them similar weight.
"This story has had a very important high, but it is a continuing story and the story of the Balkans and Yugoslavia does not come in four-year segments," Albright said after meeting her Yugoslav counterpart Goran Svilanovic.
"General Powell has said they are going to review the issue," she said, referring to speculation that the Bush administration might pull US peacekeeping forces out of the Balkans.
"I think we all have to remember that this is a long-term story that at this stage is successful and it has to be supported," Albright said.
She hailed Svilanovic's presence in Washington as proof that Yugoslavia was on the path to true democratization following the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic and the election of new President Vojislav Kostunica.
But she warned that reform and progress following the Bosnian civil war and the Kosovo crisis needed support to thrive.
"In order to make sure that the peace stays won, there needs to be continued support for the Balkans both economically and ... with troop presence," Albright said.
On Saddam Hussein, Albright called on Bush to remember the Iraqi leader's invasion of Kuwait and Bush senior's response to it: the Gulf War and ongoing efforts to ensure he remains contained and not a threat to his neighbors.
"The issue here is one where the international community needs to keep focused on the fact that Saddam Hussein is a danger to the region and I hope very much that the second Bush administration will in fact deal with the issue as we have by making sure that he stays contained," she said -- WASHINGTON (AFP)
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