Frattini expects EU to restrain from UN vote on Serbia’s ICJ initiative
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in Belgrade on Monday he expected that the EU member countries would restrain from the UN voting on Serbia's proposal that an opinion be sought on the legality of Kosovo independence
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, September 29, 2008
The voting will take place on October 8 in New York.
At a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic, Frattini said that Italy expected the EU member states would act as unanimous in respect to the Serbian proposal.
Jeremic pointed out that Serbia expected that the EU would not oppose the initiative, which, as he noted, represented the very essence of the diplomatic efforts Serbia was making in the search for a solution to Kosovo status.
"You can agree or disagree with Serbia 's position regarding Kosovo and Metohija, but you cannot deny Serbia the right to seek an opinion from the International Court of Justice", Jeremic said, and added that Italy agreed with such a stand.
Meanwhile,speaking to the Skopje daily Dnevnik in New York, Jeremic said that the possible decision of the Macedonian government ro recognize Kosovo could have a negative effect on regional stability and on relations between the two neighboring states.
"Do not inflict such a blow on your closest neighbor who is currently fighting in a peaceful, democratic and internationally- legally confirmed manner to reach a solution to this crisis, which affects both Serbia and all who live in this region," Jeremic said.
He noted that, if Macedonia decided to recognize the illegal decision of the temporary institutions of self-government of Seriba's southern province, Serbia would view this as the unilateral violation of its sovereignty and integrity, and would follow with adequate measures.
"Imagine if someone were to recognize a part of Macedonia as an independent state. Just like you would react, we also would have no choice. I believe that this would be very bad, because we are trying to treat the Kosovo issue in a rational, peaceful way and differently to how previous governments acted. This is the first time that Serbia is trying to resolve the issue of Kosovo in a peaceful manner, through the ICJ", Jeremic stated.
In Belgrade, Egyptian Ambassador to Serbia Adel Ahmed Mohamed Naguib has stated that he is optimistic about the backing of Serbia 's initiative, confirming that his country will back Serbia 's resolution.
"We deeply respect international law. Therefore, our position has been clear from the beginning: we respect Serbia 's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ambassador Adel Ahmed Mohamed Naguib said in a statement.
Reflecting on the fact that the majority of the Islamic countries had not recognized Kosovo's independence, Naguib said that Egypt 's officials inform other members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that the Kosovo problem is not Islamic or a religious problem.
