U.N. Court Declares Kosovo’s Split-Off Legit

Posted on Jul 22, 2010

Wikimedia Commons

Kosovo’s split from Serbia now has the U.N. top court’s official nod. Above, Kosovo’s official flag.

On Thursday, the United Nations’ International Court of Justice validated Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of separation from Serbia, declaring the move legitimate according to international law, thereby pleasing the people of Kosovo but causing some concerns in other circles.  —KA

The New York Times:

Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not violate international law, the United Nations’ highest court said Thursday in a ruling that Kosovo heralded as a victory but that legal experts warned could spur separatist movements around the world.

Legal experts emphasized that while the court had ruled that Kosovo’s declaration of independence was legal, it had scrupulously avoided saying that the state of Kosovo was legal under international law, a narrow and carefully calibrated compromise that they said could allow both sides to declare victory in a dispute that remains raw even 11 years after the war there.

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