Ban welcomes readiness of European Union to facilitate dialogue on Kosovo

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday joined United Nations Member States in welcoming the readiness of the European Union to facilitate a process of dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo over the latter's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008.

In a consensus resolution adopted on Thursday, the 192-member General Assembly hailed the move by the EU and acknowledged the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July on the legality of Kosovo's declaration, which Serbia rejects.

Judges at the ICJ concluded that the declaration does not breach either general international law, a Security Council resolution from 1999 following the end of fighting in Kosovo, or the constitutional framework that was adopted by the Secretary-General's Special Representative on behalf of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Mr. Ban, in a statement attributable to his spokesperson, reiterated the importance of dialogue between the parties “as a factor promoting peace, security and stability in the context of the European perspective for the region.”

He also reaffirmed the readiness of the UN to contribute to this effort in close coordination with the European Union.