Kosovo, Albania Coordinating On Serbian UN Resolution

TIRANA -- The Kosovar and Albanian prime ministers say they are working together against a Serbian resolution at the United Nations challenging Kosovo's declaration of independence, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports.

The UN General Assembly is due on September 9 to discus the resolution on Kosovo. It was introduced by Serbia, which claims Kosovo is still part of Serbia, immediately after last month's ruling by the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence does not violate international law.

Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on September 3 in Tirana, the Albanian capital, that he believes "the UN General Assembly will mark a new chapter in the process of recognizing Kosovo."

Referring to the ICJ verdict, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that recognition of Kosovo's statehood is now a matter of "respecting international law." Berisha said he and Thaci welcome all efforts that seek to help Belgrade adopt this "new reality."

The German and British foreign ministers recently visited Belgrade to urge Serbia to withdraw the resolution from the UN assembly.

A Serbian delegation will also reportedly meet soon with Catherine Ashton, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, in an effort to find common ground on the resolution.

A Kosovar official today told RFE/RL that Pristina has most of the support in the region on the issue of resolution.

The official, who requested anonymity, said there are no precedents of the UN adopting a resolution that goes against an ICJ ruling.