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KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE NOT ILLEGAL, SAYS UN COURT
Tert.am
19:32 22.07.10
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was not
illegal under international law, top UN judges say, BBC reports.
The ICJ was ruling on Serbia's claim that Kosovo's secession violated
its territorial integrity.
The International Court of Justice's non-binding ruling may encourage
other countries to recognise Kosovo.
The US and many EU countries support Kosovo's independence; Russia
is strongly opposed to it.
Addressing the court in The Hague, ICJ president Hisashi Owada said
international law "contains no applicable prohibition" of Kosovo's
declaration of independence.
"Accordingly, [the court] concludes that the declaration of
independence on 17 February 2008 did not violate general international
law," he said.
As the Guardian earlier reported, a ruling saying the declaration of
independence was legal will have an impact on the wider international
stage, bolstering demands for recognition by territories as diverse
as Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia,
Abkhazia and Transnistria.
From: A. Papazian
Tert.am
19:32 22.07.10
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was not
illegal under international law, top UN judges say, BBC reports.
The ICJ was ruling on Serbia's claim that Kosovo's secession violated
its territorial integrity.
The International Court of Justice's non-binding ruling may encourage
other countries to recognise Kosovo.
The US and many EU countries support Kosovo's independence; Russia
is strongly opposed to it.
Addressing the court in The Hague, ICJ president Hisashi Owada said
international law "contains no applicable prohibition" of Kosovo's
declaration of independence.
"Accordingly, [the court] concludes that the declaration of
independence on 17 February 2008 did not violate general international
law," he said.
As the Guardian earlier reported, a ruling saying the declaration of
independence was legal will have an impact on the wider international
stage, bolstering demands for recognition by territories as diverse
as Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia,
Abkhazia and Transnistria.
From: A. Papazian