Jeremic warns against refusing Belgrade's ICJ request regarding Kosovo

26/09/2008

NEW YORK, United States -- If the UN rejects Serbia's initiative to seek the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) opinion on Kosovo's declaration of independence, it would indicate that force is the preferred method of solving problems, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said on Thursday (September 25th). "This is the first time in the turbulent history of the Balkans that someone has tried to resolve a dispute of this importance peacefully," he said in an interview with Reuters. "If the UN General Assembly decides to block the Serbian request, it would send a very negative signal," he warned.

Also in New York for the Assembly meeting is Serbian President Boris Tadic, who reiterated that Belgrade's intention is not to destabilise the region but rather to take the issue from politics into a legal forum. On the sidelines, Tadic met with US counterpart George W Bush and with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He told reporters that he and Bush reiterated their differences over Kosovo. Lavrov, however, assured Tadic that Belgrade has Moscow's "absolute support" for the ICJ resolution.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci weighed in on the matter from Pristina on Thursday, saying Serbia's effort to question the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence could damage regional stability. (Zeri, Express, Lajm, Kosova sot - 26/09/08; Reuters, Tanjug, RTS, B92, FoNet, Beta - 25/09/08)