By Fatos Bytyci

PRISTINA, Serbia (Reuters) – President George W. Bush said on Monday that the people of Kosovo were now independent, in his first comment on the territory’s weekend declaration of independence.

“We’ll watch to see how the events unfold today,” Bush said in a live interview aired on NBC television from Arusha, Tanzania during a tour of Africa. “The Kosovans are now independent. It’s something I’ve advocated along with my government.”

The breakaway majority Albanian territory declared independence from Serbia on Sunday. Most of the European Union’s 27 members and the United States are ready to recognize Kosovo, though Spain said on Monday it had made up its mind not to do so.

BBC World television news earlier reported in a banner that the United States had officially recognized Kosovo’s independence, although Bush stopped short of announcing formal recognition.

Kosovo said Western recognition of its independence was coming any minute on Monday, but Serbs protested and the first EU decision went against the new republic as Spain said “no”.

“We expect to be recognized by the first countries any minute,” Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told an open meeting of his cabinet a day after the breakaway majority Albanian territory declared independence from Serbia.

Most of the European Union’s 27 members and the United States are ready to recognize Kosovo. But as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to confer, Spain said it had made up its mind not to do so.

“The government of Spain will not recognize the unilateral act proclaimed yesterday by the assembly of Kosovo,” Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters.  Continued…