Court says Kosovo independence legal

The International Court of Justice sitting in the Hague has ruled that Kosovo’s 2008 unilateral declaration of independence does not infringe international law.

The court, the UN’s main justice body, was asked to rule on the matter by Serbia, which approached it in October 2008 after some 69 nations, including 22 European Union members, recognised Kosovo as a sovereign nation.

In Kosovo today the president asked for bells to be rung to help get the decision everyone wanted. Although the decision is non-binding, it is being seen in Kosovo as additional validation of their claim, which in any case all Kosovars see as a fait accompli and irreversible.

Serbia has vowed never to recognise Kosovo, but the issue is hampering its entry into the EU.