This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7658103.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Serbia seeks UN boost on Kosovo UN seeks World Court Kosovo view
(about 19 hours later)
The UN General Assembly is to meet to debate Serbia's challenge to the legality of Kosovo's independence. The UN General Assembly has voted to refer Kosovo's independence declaration to the International Court of Justice.
Serbia wants the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to advise on the issue and would like it to find that Kosovo acted illegally. The ICJ will be asked to give an advisory, non-binding opinion on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February.
For the international court to take up the case, most countries in the assembly must vote in favour. Seventy-seven countries voted in favour, six against and 74 abstained.
Serbia is looking for more moral weight to its political argument that Kosovo is still one of its provinces. Serbia and Russia say Kosovo acted illegally. But nearly 50 countries - including the US and most of the EU - have recognised it as independent.
Dilemma Serbia argued that asking the ICJ to give its opinion would actually reduce tensions and promote reconciliation.
Diplomats here expect the resolution to get the simple majority needed on Wednesday. Many countries who voted in favour said this was not a political decision but a legal one, and every state had a right to ask the court for an opinion.
One ambassador said that all they were doing was asking a court for a non-binding opinion. But the large number of abstentions shows that other countries saw this as highly political, the BBC's Laura Trevelyan reports from New York.
But nearly 50 countries have recognised Kosovo's independence and so the vote poses a dilemma for them. For the 48 countries which have recognised Kosovo but support the court this was a tricky vote, she says. The US voted against, calling this an unnecessary and unhelpful move.
France is urging the 27 European Union countries to abstain, although Cyprus and Spain could well vote in favour. Most EU countries abstained - Britain called Serbia's request primarily political.
It is not clear whether the US, a key ally of Kosovo, will vote against or abstain. But the EU was split, with Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Greece and Cyprus voting in favour. They all said international law should be respected.
Diplomats say the pro-European Serbian government wants to use this vote to park the vexed issue of Kosovo for a few years while the ICJ looks at the legal arguments. It could take up to two years for the court to issue its opinion.
Kosovo's foreign minister told the BBC that whatever the outcome of the vote, nothing was going to change, as Kosovo's independence was a fact.