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Good chances for Serbia at UN General Assembly

Belgrade, 22 September 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said that there are good chances that the UN General Assembly will support Serbia’s proposal that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gives an opinion on the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence.

Author: www.politika.rs

In an interview to yesterday’s edition of the Politika daily Jeremic said that a lot of work is ahead because Serbia must convince the majority of countries to support its position.

He said he expects the ICJ to give a clear answer in Serbia’s favour, which will mean that there is no alternative to resuming negotiations and that provisional organs in Pristina declared independence in contravention of international law.

It will be clear that Kosovo cannot unilaterally secure wide international recognition of its so-called sovereignty. In other words, it can either stay forever in that undefined position or resume negotiations. In my opinion, the ICJ’s opinion will mean that there is no alternative to resuming negotiations, stressed the Minister.

He added that some very powerful countries strongly oppose Serbia’s initiative and warned that its success can be uncertain if a large number of countries are under strong pressure.

Some countries, such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, China, Algeria, Egypt and many others informed us formally that they will vote for us. We should still be careful because the General Committee voting showed that there can be reversals at the last minute. Some countries that promised support decided to abstain from voting at the last moment.

According to Jeremic, there is a fierce debate in the EU on how the UN members will vote on Serbia’s proposed resolution, and according to diplomatic circles, the UN is striving to find a common position.

At this moment we have gained momentum, which can also be shown by the fact that not a single country in the General Committee was opposed to the inclusion of this item on the agenda. Thus we have good chances, but we still have not succeeded, said the Minister.

Asked whether there is a chance for the content of the resolution to be amended with South Ossetia and Abkhazia cases, Jeremic answered that according to the procedure, everyone has the right to submit amendments but the position of Serbia and its fellow countries is that the resolution should not be changed because it is precise and clear.

He said that Serbia will make efforts to have its proposed resolution on the UN General Assembly agenda as soon as possible, and added that the voting starts on October 6 and lasts until the end of the year.

Speaking about the US and UK’s suggestions that Serbia quits the initiative, the Minister said that Serbia cannot do that, in spite of any threats or suggestions, because the preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty is a supreme national interest of every country.

Asked whether the UK can slow down or impede Serbia’s way toward EU entry, Jeremic reiterated that the official EU policy, which is in accordance with the Serbian government policy, is that Kosovo’s future status and Serbia’s EU integration are separate processes and should not be confused.

Jeremic said that Serbia’s diplomacy will do its best to keep it like that and added that accusations against any EU member will mean that the cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is no longer the only condition for EU integrations.