Britain: Serbia is Challenging EU on Kosovo

Belgrade _ Serbia's request that the International Court of Justice give an opinion on Kosovo’s independence is “a mistake” and “a direct challenge to the EU”, Britain’s ambassador to Serbia said.

In an interview with the Belgrade daily, Vecernje Novosti, published Sunday, Stephen Wordsworth warned the move would “only make cooperation and Serbia's integration into the European Union more difficult”.

Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Vuk Jeremic, told Belgrade’s B92 outlet on Saturday that although “some of the most powerful countries in the world will be against the ICJ initiative”, Serbia could count on support other United Nations members.

An ICJ decision would not be binding, but Jeremic said that it might “ slow down or halt the wave of recognitions”.

Wordsworth said the EU could not ask Serbia to recognise Kosovo, but described moves to try to legally annul Kosovo’s secession as “dangerously misleading”, since Kosovo has now been recognized “by most [European] Union and most UN Security Council members”.

He added, however, that “until some EU states recognise Kosovo, the EU cannot insist that Serbia does something of the kind”.