192 UN member states to discuss and vote on Serbia’s draft resolution

The 192 UN member-states are set to debate and vote at the UN General Assembly on Serbia’s draft resolution to seek the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral independence

(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The adoption of the resolution requires the support of the majority of of member-states taking part in the vote.

Serbia's initiative at the General Assembly session will be outlined by Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and a debate will follow.

"We will endeavor, as we did at the General Committee, to make a sweep at the start of the session-in other words, get as many countries as we can from all continents, from different parts of the world, to take part in the debate, to support Serbia's position, and for the whole debate to assume a course that will later be favorable for pushing through our resolution," said the minister.

President Boris Tadic is also hoping for a good result.

"The UN is the only universal legitimate system that can prevent a return to anarchy - especially in the world today which is becoming less and less coherent and predictable", President Tadic said in addressing world statesmen at a plenary part of the World Policy Conference.

Tadic reminded that Serbia's predictions had come true:

"As of recently, our country is overcast by a dangerous threat  - the unilateral, unlawful and illegitimate proclamation of independence by one ethic group, Kosovo Albanians, in our southern province of Kosovo and Metohija", Tadic noted. 

"The unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence represents an attempt of splitting apart a member of the United Nations against its own will and contrary to international law just for the sake of one ethnic minority, Tadic warned, and added that all that was happening in the context tensions at the global level.  We are witnessing the fact that there are dozens of territories across the world which want to secede from their motherland and which are only waiting for secession to become a legitimate and acceptable means", the Serbian president said.

"If this should happen, we might witness an escalation of a number of current conflicts and a resumption of many frozen conflicts in full force, and we might even see new conflicts as breaking out", Tadic warned.

"A good thing about the whole Serbian initiative is that it will remain a positive result in the international political domain," Tadic said.

Nevertheless, one of the chief obstacles to adopting the resolution is the possibility that certain smaller countries who intend to support the document decide, under pressure, to abstain or not attend the vote at the last moment.

Another possibility is that one or more countries submit a joint amendment in a bid to reformulate or change the document.

In fact, Great Britain has required from the UN General Assembly to take into consideration the entire context of Kosovo's unilateral independence declaration and that, in case that the body  decides to seek an advisory opinion of the ICJ, it modifies the question "to make it possible for Pristina to present its argumentation before the ICJ".

Such an amendment would also be put to the vote and be adopted or rejected on the basis of a simple majority.

Jeremic claimed that Serbia was ready for all eventualities.

"The UK has circulated a paper on the basis of which one can expect someone to introduce an amendment that would change the meaning and significance of our resolution," said the minister.

"Obviously, we'll fight to the last to prevent any changes to the text of our resolution. We'll warn those on our side and who we see today that there is the possibility of an amendment," he said.