Tadic: ICJ to give stand on Kosovo in one year at best
Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Wednesday that the process of the adopting of an advisory stand of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on the legality of the proclamation of the independence of Kosovo will take at least one year, and expressed confidence that the Court will resist political pressure from states that have recognized the unilaterally proclaimed independence of the southern Serbian province.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, April 23, 2009
"There should be no doubts that there will be political pressure, but we are absolutely certain that the ICJ will demonstrate the highest possible level of independence and a legal approach to this issue," Tadic told reporters in Belgrade.
According to the Serbian president, the number of countries that submit written statements on the question to the ICJ is not of decisive importance, but the quality and arguments contained therein.
"We are confident that international law is on the side of Serbia in the question of Kosovo, and that the statements that will be submitted by legal experts and teams of various governments that will take Serbia's side in this case will be of the highest possible quality," Tadic said.
According to him, the self-proclamation of the independence of Kosovo, as a drastic act of unilateralism, threatens the international order, because many countries are facing secessionist movements.
"By treating the Kosovo problem in a diplomatic and legal manner, Serbia is in the position to offer to many countries that are facing their own challenges a way on how to resolve conflicts that have so far mainly been resolved through wars and violence," Tadic stated.
He undescored that Serbia's initiative before the ICJ depicts it as a peaceful country which is thus protecting both the interests of Serbs and the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
On Tuesday, the ICJ announced that it received written statements on the question by April 17, the designated deadline, from 35 countries that are members of the United Nations, including Serbia, within the procedure for determining the legality of the declaration of the independence of Kosovo.
