Former high-ranking American diplomats are warning the Bush Administration that American recognition of Kosovo's unilateral independence declaration is against American interests because it "would turn what is now a relatively small problem into a large one."

"We believe an imposed settlement of the Kosovo question and seeking to partition Serbia's sovereign territory without its consent is not in the interest of the United States," write John Bolton, Lawrence Eagleburger and Peter Rodman for the American Enterprise Institute.

	John Bolton

"We believe U.S. policy on Kosovo must be re-examined without delay, and we urge the Bush administration to make it clear that pending the results of such re-examination it would withhold recognition of a Kosovo independence declaration and discourage Kosovo's Albanians from taking that step," urge the diplomats.

All three diplomats believe that the current US policy that believes that Serbia will agree to loose its sovereignty is "naive in the extreme" and that such policy must be "re-examined without delay".

"A reassessment of America's Kosovo policy is long overdue. We hope a policy that would set a very dangerous international precedent can still be averted if that reassessment begins now," say the diplomats.

All three express fear that hasty steps that recognize Kosovo Muslim independence will heighten tensions with Russia precisely in time when US needs Russia's support on host of issues, including dealing with Iran.

"There are urgent matters regarding which the United States must work with Russia, including Iran's nuclear intentions and North Korea's nuclear capability. Such cooperation would be undercut by American action to neutralize Moscow's legitimate concerns regarding Kosovo," say diplomats.

Kosovo is a Serbian province dominated by Albanian Muslims that have violently expelled over two thirds of Christian Serbs out of the province and are threatening violence if the world does not recognize their unilateral declaration of independence that they plan to announce soon.