Kouchner: ICJ initiative legitimate

Bernard Kouchner says Serbia is entitled to seek the ICJ's opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral independence. However, the French foreign minister pointed out that International Court of Justice (ICJ), if it considers this petition at all, would have to take all elements into consideration. Kouchner: ICJ initiative legitimate “If the ICJ decides to consider this petition at all, and I am doubtful as to whether this will happen, it will have to take all elements into account,” Kouchner told Tanjug on the fringes of a meeting of French ambassadors in Paris. He reiterated that he had tried for years to initiate a dialogue between the Serbs and the Kosovo Albanians, but that this "was not possible" and that the international community, via Martti Ahtisaari's plan, had assumed its responsibilities and was applying them. Asked whether France, as the current EU president, was considering a response to Serbia's petition for an advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence, Kouchner replied: “We said that (Serbia) cannot ask Europe to join it and, at the same time, want (Europe) to fully agree with its petition. However, they are entitled to seek this opinion, just like all other countries.” “They’ve (Serbia) submitted the petition to the UN General Assembly and we will see what the response will be. This does not change our position,” Kouchner noted. For him, the situation in Georgia was very different from that in Kosovo. According to the French foreign minister, the situation in Kosovo was the result of long talks lasting more than two years with the international community, the Contact Group, the Rambouillet agreement and, unfortunately, a decision had proven elusive because the Serbs had rejected the conclusions of the Rambouillet conference. Kouchner said that the international community had accepted this entirely, while the situation in Georgia was not such a case, rather that it had been "Russia's unilateral decision". Bernard Kouchner (FoNet, archive)

Kouchner: ICJ initiative legitimate

“If the ICJ decides to consider this petition at all, and I am doubtful as to whether this will happen, it will have to take all elements into account,” Kouchner told Tanjug on the fringes of a meeting of French ambassadors in Paris.

He reiterated that he had tried for years to initiate a dialogue between the Serbs and the Kosovo Albanians, but that this "was not possible" and that the international community, via Martti Ahtisaari's plan, had assumed its responsibilities and was applying them.

Asked whether France, as the current EU president, was considering a response to Serbia's petition for an advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence, Kouchner replied:

“We said that (Serbia) cannot ask Europe to join it and, at the same time, want (Europe) to fully agree with its petition. However, they are entitled to seek this opinion, just like all other countries.”

“They’ve (Serbia) submitted the petition to the UN General Assembly and we will see what the response will be. This does not change our position,” Kouchner noted.

For him, the situation in Georgia was very different from that in Kosovo.

According to the French foreign minister, the situation in Kosovo was the result of long talks lasting more than two years with the international community, the Contact Group, the Rambouillet agreement and, unfortunately, a decision had proven elusive because the Serbs had rejected the conclusions of the Rambouillet conference.

Kouchner said that the international community had accepted this entirely, while the situation in Georgia was not such a case, rather that it had been "Russia's unilateral decision".