Belgrade urges support for UN resolution

The draft states that a unilateral secession cannot be an acceptable way for resolving territorial issues.

In an interview for the Associated Press, Serbia's foreign minister warned that the ICJ advisory opinion in the Kosovo case, given last week, had opened Pandora's box for secessionist movements around the world.

The top UN court said that the Kosovo Albanian unilateral independence declaration was not in violation of international law, since no active provision of that law prohibited such proclamations. But the court did not make a stand on the right to self-determination and secession.

Jeremic told the news agency on Thursday in New York that "the true closing of Pandora's box" would only come if there was a "mutually acceptable solution to all outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue".

Jeremic argued that there were close to 100 separatist movements in dozens of countries around the world - from China and Russia to Spain and Indonesia - and some had already expressed interest in last week's non-binding ruling, writes the AP.

The Serbian FM said winning approval for Serbia's resolution in the General Assembly "will be a very tall order ... very tough."

Jeremic, who was in New York for talks with the UN secretary-general, told Ban Ki-moon that Serbia "was not going to do anything that's going to contribute to the destabilizing of the situation in the province, and that we are ready to engage in a dialogue."