UNifeed: ICJ / KOSOVO

ICJ / KOSOVO

At the request of the UN General Assembly at Serbia's initiative, the World Court begins a hearing on the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo. ICJ

Duration:01:27Date:01 December 2009

Categories:

POLITICAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS, MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY, INTERNATIONAL LAW, SERBIA, International Court of Justice

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Full Script

STORY: ICJ / KOSOVO
TRT: 1.27
SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 1 DECEMBER 2009, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

1. Wide shot, Court
2. Med shot, audience
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Dušan T. Batakovic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to France, ViceDirector of the Institute for Balkan Studies and Assistant Professor at the University of Belgrade, Head of Delegation:
“We are confident that once the Court has provided its judicial perspective on this question, the conditions will be created to reach a compromise on the future status of Kosovo; a compromise thanks to which the Government of Serbia and the Albanian authorities of Kosovo will be able to find common ground and so contribute to the consolidation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans.”
4. Med shot, court
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Skender Hyseni, Head of Kosovo Delegation:
"Mr. President, Members of the Court, with all that has happened, it is inconceivable that we could accede to Serbia’s call to turn the clock back to pursue further negotiations on whether Serbia will or will not accept Kosovo as an independent State.  That would be highly disruptive, and could even spark new conflict in the region.  Kosovo’s independence is irreversible and that will remain the case, not only for the sake of Kosovo, but also for the sake of sustainable regional peace and security, to which Kosovo’s independence has so greatly contributed."
6. Wide, court

STORYLINE:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ principal judicial organ, today (1 December) began public hearings on the question of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia early last year.

Thirty UN Member States and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) of Kosovo, which authored the declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008, are scheduled to speak during the hearings, which will run until 11 December.

Dušan T. Batakovic, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to France, condemned Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence as a breach of international law and said Serbia expected the Court’s opinion to form the legal basis for an adequate response by the international community. He said Serbia was confident that once the Court provided its judicial perspective, the conditions would be created to reach a compromise on the future status of Kosovo.

Skender Hyseni, the head of Kosovo Delegation told the Court that Kosovo’s independence was irreversible and that it would remain the case, not only for the sake of Kosovo, but also for the sake of sustainable regional peace and security, “to which Kosovo’s independence has so greatly contributed."

In October 2008 the General Assembly voted to request the ICJ to give an advisory opinion on the legality of the move by Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by about nine to one.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is tasked with settling legal disputes between UN Member States and with giving advisory opinions on legal questions. It is based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

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