Senate Democratic leaders said Monday that former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris will likely be sworn in this week after his new credentials were found to be in order.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) issued a statement saying that they have spoken to Burris “to let him know that he is now the senator-designate from Illinois and as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a senator-elect.”

The announcement ends a two-week standoff between Democratic leaders and the former Illinois attorney general. Burris was caught up in the aftermath of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) arrest for allegedly seeking to auction off President-elect Obama’s Senate seat.

Reid and Durbin said they are coordinating with Vice President Dick Cheney to determine when Burris can be sworn in.

“As we had outlined to Mr. Burris, a path needed to be followed that respects the rules of the Senate,” Reid and Durbin stated. “We committed to Mr. Burris that once those requirements were satisfied, we would be able to proceed. We are pleased that everything is now in order, we congratulate Senator-designee Burris on his appointment and we look forward to working with him in the 111th Congress.”

The Democratic leaders released their statement after a meeting between Burris’s attorneys, Senate lawyers and Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson, who had rejected Burris’s certification papers last week. Burris’s attorneys submitted two separate documents that they say fulfill an 1884 Senate rule that all senators must have certification signed by their states’ governors and secretaries of state.

Erickson issued a statement saying Burris’s papers “appear to contain all the essential elements” of the Senate rule.

Democratic leaders last week refused to seat Burris because his appointment was not certified by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. However, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Burris’s appointment by Blagojevich was valid even without the signature of Secretary of State Jesse White, who refused to co-sign the certificate because of the charges facing the governor.

At a Chicago press conference, Burris declared victory and said he hopes to join the Senate immediately.

“The single most important reason I fought to defend this appointment was because I believe Illinois people didn’t deserve to unfairly be punished again by delaying their right to have full representation and equally full voting rights at such a crippled, crucial time for our state and our nation,” he said. “My motivation is to serve, and had nothing to do with the scandal that preceded my appointment.”

Pointedly, Burris thanked Reid and Durbin for negotiating with him and said he holds no grudges.

“Never once did I doubt their intentions were motivated by anything other than doing what was right for the people of Illinois and by what they believe had to be done to protect the Senate as an institution,” he said. “It will be my honor both to serve with them and to learn from them.”

Burris also displayed humor, making light of White’s refusal to sign the appointment by Blagojevich, saying he considered White “an honorable man... and someone whose autograph I cherish.”

Senators from both parties on Monday began coalescing around the idea that Burris will soon be a colleague. Democrats said they are frustrated the issue became such a distraction to their legislative agenda, while Republicans said they do not see how Burris could continue to be blocked.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) ended up having an unexpected dinner with Burris at the Monocle restaurant last week, and researched his background afterwards.

“I was very much impressed with him,” Inhofe said. “From my little, meager research, I thought, ‘This guy looks like Senate material’.”

Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) repeated the GOP’s call for a special election in Illinois, but suggested that there is little either party could do to block Burris any further.

“It’s been a big distraction, and it’s very unfortunate,” Alexander said. “This is no time to be damaging the public’s confidence in elected officials… But it’s for (Democrats) to decide. It’s one of the joys of being the majority.”

But Reid and Durbin also had their defenders — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was among those who said the leaders had no choice but to move cautiously, considering the corruption charges that had been filed against Blagojevich.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which had strongly supported Burris’s quest for Obama’s seat, applauded the announcement of the Democratic leaders.

“The CBC is very pleased with the decision of Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate leadership to seat Roland Burris,” said chairwoman Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). “Mr. Burris has long been a public servant for the people of Illinois. He will be a wonderful addition to our caucus and we look forward to working with him as we move forward with our agenda in Congress.”

Obama’s transition team, which had worried about the situation becoming a distraction to the incoming administration’s plans, also reacted positively to the announcement.

“As the president-elect has said repeatedly, he knows Roland Burris and has high regard for him,” said Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer. “He looks forward to working with Sen. Burris and the rest of the United States Senate to rebuild our economy and meet the great challenges of our time.”