Serbia seeks UN support for World Court ruling on Kosovo
Serbian President Boris Tadic appealed to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to back his country's call for a ruling by the International Court of Justice on Kosovo's disputed independence.
By Agencies |
UNITED NATIONS: Serbian President Boris Tadic appealed to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to back his country's call for a ruling by the International Court of Justice on Kosovo's disputed independence.
Serbia has submitted a draft resolution in the 192-member assembly demanding that "the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provides an advisory opinion ... on whether the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo is in accordance with international law."
"To vote against means to accept that nothing could be done when secessionists in whichever part of the world proclaim the uniqueness of their cause, and claim exception to the universal scope of international law," Tadic told the assembly session.
"Allow me therefore to formally ask for the support of each and every member state for Serbia's proposal before the General Assembly," he added.
Last week, the assembly approved a recommendation of its general committee to have the issue put on the agenda of the assembly's 63rd session, which formally opened Tuesday.
No date has yet been set for the debate.
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Belgrade last month submitted a request before the United Nations for an advisory ruling by the ICJ on Kosovo's independence, saying the approach could serve as a model to settle other similar disputes. Based in The Hague, the ICJ -- part of the United Nations -- rules on disputes between sovereign states.
Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo, a UN-run province of Serbia since 1999 when it was wrested from Belgrade's control in a NATO air war, unilaterally seceded from Belgrade on February 17.
Its statehood has been recognised by 46 countries, including the United States and most European Union nations.
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But Serbia -- as well as Russia, its main ally on the world stage -- reject Kosovo's independence as an illegal violation of its territorial integrity. Download
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