By SPA
United Nations : The United Nations Security Council held two emergency sessions on Sunday and Monday on the future status of Kosovo but failed to reach a consensus.
Kosovo nonetheless declared itself a sovereign state on Sunday to the disappointment of Serbian President Boris Tadic, who on Monday said the independence of Kosovo is a violation of international law and recommended that the Security Council not set a precedent for other separatist movements.
There was also disagreement over Kosovo’s declaration from two Security Council veto-wielding members: China and Russia.
The rest of the permanent five members, France, Britain, and the United States agreed to recognize the sovereignty of Kosovo, now an ethnic Albanian majority state.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday reserved comment on the legality of Kosovo’s independence, but instead welcomed their new status and cautioned opposing parties to refrain from violence.
“Nevertheless, there were violent attacks today by Kosovo Serb fringe groups on boundary crossings in northern Mitrovica, which resulted in the destruction of property,” Ban’s spokesperson Marie Okabe said in Tuesday’s briefing.
Tadic on Monday evening told the Security Council in their open meeting that his country would never recognize Kosovo’s independence.
“Here in the Security Council of the United Nations I say clearly and unequivocally: Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo. We shall never renounce Kosovo and we shall not give up the struggle for our legitimate interests,” Tadic said.
Tadic emphasized that Kosovo “will forever remain part of Serbia,” for his institutions and citizens.
He also warned the 15-member council “of the danger of the escalation of many existing conflicts, the flaring up of frozen conflicts and the instigation of new ones” if they recognized the nascent state’s sovereignty.