pkpatriotic
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UN backs Serbia in judicial move on Kosovo
Thursday, 09 Oct, 2008
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Wednesday approved Serbia's request to ask a UN court if Kosovo's secession was legal, a move many Western states fear will slow down Kosovo's integration into the world community.
It is expected that the International Court of Justice in The Hague will take one to two years to issue its opinion. Belgrade says seeking neutral judicial advice will help ease tensions in the region, but Kosovo's supporters say it will slow down Pristina's integration into the world community.
There were 77 votes in favor, six votes against and 74 abstentions. Although the Serbian resolution was approved by the assembly, most of the 27 European Union member states abstained from the vote. The United States, like Albania, opposed it.
US envoy Rosemary DiCarlo told the assembly that the Serbian request was 'unnecessary and unhelpful,' adding that 'Kosovo's independence is irreversible.'
Britain's UN Ambassador John Sawyers reiterated London's full support for the ICJ but added that this did not mean it backed Belgrade's resolution, which is why Britain abstained.
'The reason is that the Serbian request is primarily for political rather than legal reasons,' he said. 'It is designed to slow down Kosovo's emergence as a widely recognized independent nation, playing its part in the international institutions of the world.'
The divisions in the EU, however, were clear. Cyprus, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Spain were among those who broke ranks with the majority of EU members and supported Serbia.
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic rejected the suggestion that its move was politically motivated and said seeking ICJ advice would 'reduce tensions in the region.'
'Sending this question to the ICJ would prevent the Kosovo crisis from serving as a deeply problematic precedent in any part of the global where secessionist ambitions are harbored,' he said.
Thursday, 09 Oct, 2008
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Wednesday approved Serbia's request to ask a UN court if Kosovo's secession was legal, a move many Western states fear will slow down Kosovo's integration into the world community.
It is expected that the International Court of Justice in The Hague will take one to two years to issue its opinion. Belgrade says seeking neutral judicial advice will help ease tensions in the region, but Kosovo's supporters say it will slow down Pristina's integration into the world community.
There were 77 votes in favor, six votes against and 74 abstentions. Although the Serbian resolution was approved by the assembly, most of the 27 European Union member states abstained from the vote. The United States, like Albania, opposed it.
US envoy Rosemary DiCarlo told the assembly that the Serbian request was 'unnecessary and unhelpful,' adding that 'Kosovo's independence is irreversible.'
Britain's UN Ambassador John Sawyers reiterated London's full support for the ICJ but added that this did not mean it backed Belgrade's resolution, which is why Britain abstained.
'The reason is that the Serbian request is primarily for political rather than legal reasons,' he said. 'It is designed to slow down Kosovo's emergence as a widely recognized independent nation, playing its part in the international institutions of the world.'
The divisions in the EU, however, were clear. Cyprus, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Spain were among those who broke ranks with the majority of EU members and supported Serbia.
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic rejected the suggestion that its move was politically motivated and said seeking ICJ advice would 'reduce tensions in the region.'
'Sending this question to the ICJ would prevent the Kosovo crisis from serving as a deeply problematic precedent in any part of the global where secessionist ambitions are harbored,' he said.
