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Serbia will not give up initiative to seek ICJ opinion

Belgrade/Washington, 13 September 2008

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said last night in Washington that Serbia is not going to give up its initiative to consult the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence, even if the US opposes this move.

Vuk Jeremic

Author: AFP

In a statement to the press following talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US National Security Advisor to the President Steven Hadley, Jeremic said that the main topic of discussion was Serbia’s initiative to present a resolution at the upcoming UN General Assembly session seeking the opinion of the ICJ on the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

The US is opposed to this initiative, but I presented the Serbian government’s stance to them, the reasons and legal aspects of our initiative and explained to them that it is simply not possible that Serbia will give up this initiative. Considering the fact that according to our opinion, the initiative will contribute to peace and stability in the region, I sought from the US not to oppose it, said the Minister.

He added that it was conveyed to him that the US administration will examine Serbia’s arguments, which, he stressed, is a sign of some progress.

Jeremic said that until these talks the US was determined to oppose our initiative, but at the end of talks in the White House and the State Department it was stated that they will think about Serbia’s arguments.

The Minister voiced hope that the US will take into account all the reasons and arguments which he presented to them and will not oppose the Serbian initiative.

Jeremic reiterated that Kosovo’s independence is absolutely unacceptable for Serbia. It is a violation of international law and this is the reason why Serbia is seeking an advisory opinion from the ICJ, and will not abandon the struggle to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He stressed that during the meeting at the White House and State Department, bilateral relations were also discussed, which, he remarked, are now unfortunately at their worst since 1999, when Serbia was at war with the US.

Of course, the reason is that the US recognised Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence and Serbia regards this as direct undermining of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, today relations are troubled due to other problems as well, such as the Kovacevic case, said the Foreign Minister and added that the US Secretary of State mentioned this explicitly.

Jeremic said that he informed Rice about the Serbian Constitution and laws and explained that it is not possible to handover Kovacevic to the US.

However, I told them that if the court in New York forwards the case to Serbian courts, the Kovacevic case will be dealt with by the Serbian judiciary in a transparent and clear manner, concluded the Minister.