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Foreign Secretary on UN General Assembly Resolution on ICJ Advisory Opinion on Kosovo

Foreign Secretary William Hague has welcomed the adoption by consensus in the UN General Assembly of a resolution on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Opinion on Kosovo.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo.

Following the adoption the Foreign Secretary said:

“I warmly welcome the consensus of the UN General Assembly in adopting the resolution on the ICJ [International Court of Justice] Advisory Opinion on Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence. The agreement of Serbia and all members of the EU to co-sponsor the resolution showed a clear willingness from all concerned to move on from the disputes of the past and demonstrated the positive force of the EU’s foreign policy.

This resolution will help Serbia and Kosovo move forward into a new phase. I strongly encourage Belgrade and Pristina now to take up the offer of the EU to facilitate dialogue that promotes co-operation and improves the lives of the people.

In recognising the desire of Kosovo and Serbia to make progress towards membership of the European Union, the resolution also underlines the bigger picture of the integration of the whole of the Western Balkans into the EU. I am a strong supporter of EU enlargement to all the states of the Western Balkans. The UK will do all we can to help the people of the region achieve this goal.”

Published 10 September 2010