Pristina: Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu
said a UN court ruling today removed "all doubts" about
Kosovo's independence from Serbia, and called for more
international recognition of the territory.
The International Court of Justice's backing of Kosovo
independence was greeted with joy in the Kosovo capital,
Pristina, with drivers blowing their vehicles' horns and
people waving the Kosovo flag.
"The decision finally removes all doubts that countries
which still do not recognise the republic of Kosovo could
have," Sejdiu said.
"So again, we call upon these countries to take a
decision as soon as possible to recognise the republic of
Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state," he said.
Sixty-nine countries have so far recognised Kosovo as
independent, including the United States and all but five of
the 27 EU member states. Russia, Serbia's most powerful ally
on the world stage, has not.
Sediju immediately called for Belgrade to give up its
opposition to the independence of its former province.
"We call on ... President (Boris) Tadic and his
government to give up their current approach. The joint path
of the both countries and of other countries in the region is
the European Union and NATO," he said.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci hailed the ICJ
ruling as an "historic victory".
"From now on Kosovo will function forever as a state," he
said in an address broadcast on Kosovo television from
Washington where he was visiting.
PTI
First Published: Friday, July 23, 2010, 00:12