UN Warns against Provocations in Wake of ICJ Ruling on Kosovo

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned through the UN Spokesperson against provocations regarding the Kosovo issue. Photo by EPA/BGNES

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all sides involved in the Kosovo issue to abstain from provocations after the UN Court ruled Thursday that the independence of the former Serbian province was “not illegal.”

"The secretary-general strongly encourages the parties to engage in a constructive dialogue. The secretary-general urges all sides to avoid any steps that could be seen as provocative and derail the dialogue,” declared UN spokesman Martin Nesirky at a news conference in New York commenting on the advisory ruling of the International Court of Justice.

The ICJ ruling, which was passed with 10 court judges in favor, and 4 against, states that there is no prohibition of declarations on independence in international law, and therefore Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008 did not violate “general international law.”

The UN Spokesperson Martin Nesirky said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will refer the advisory opinion of the Hague court back to the General Assembly of the organization, which requested it.

The ICJ came to issue its advisory opinion after the Kosovo independence matter was referred to it by the General Assembly of the United Nations where it was raised by the Serbs who questioned the legality of the independence.

Kosovo has been recognized by 69 states so far, including the USA and 22 out of 27 EU member states (including Bulgaria), and the Kosovo authorities hope that the ICJ ruling will lead to a number of new recognitions of their sovereignty.

Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu has welcomed the advisory ruling as promoting further Kosovo’s independence but has also said it should not be seen as encouragement to separatist trends around the world.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who slammed the ruling, also declared that the most important thing was to prevent provocation and escalation of tensions with respect to the status and the situation in Kosovo.

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