Serbia's triumph over EU double standards

Serbia's success in persuading the UN general assembly to support its application for an advisory opinion from the international court of justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence represents a victory not only for Serbia's diplomatic endeavours in recent months, but for the rule of law and multilateralism more broadly. The decision by many EU member states not to back this initiative, however, further demonstrates the EU's contradictory attitude and approach towards matters of international law.

In a bid to deter Serbia's diplomatic efforts, several attempts were made to directly link the issue to the country's European prospects. Britain's ambassador to Serbia, Stephen Wordsworth, publicly warned that the resolution would be "a mistake" that constituted "a direct challenge to the EU"; one that will "only make cooperation and Serbia's integration into the European Union more difficult". Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, meanwhile, stated that "we have reiterated numerous times that Serbia cannot seek to join the European Union while also asking Europe to agree with the initiative" and labelled the move "self-destructively isolationist".

Having insisted that disputes in the western Balkans be settled through peaceful means, the EU's failure to support Serbia's initiative at the UN general assembly is fundamentally inconsistent and untenable. As the Serbian president, Boris Tadic, re-affirmed, "our intention is not to repeat aggression or confrontation with the world, but to use a different methodology in politics which is not usually seen in the Balkans".

The sad part of this for me as an American, is not only seeing how wrong we were on the Kosovo Independence issue -- I've known that since Day 1 -- but to see how pathetic our support on the issue is. Did you see the voting record on this?

Serbian resolution requesting an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on “whether the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo is in accordance with international law” was accepted in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, with 77 countries voting in favor and 6 against (Albania, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and United States of America).

74 countries abstained but, according to the General Assembly voting regulations, Serbia needed a simple majority, where only the votes ‘for’ and ‘against’ are being counted, while the abstentions are not taken into account.

I am very glad that Serbia won, because they are right on this. But I am embarrassed at both the bizarre US rhetoric on the subject, and the fact that no one is following our lead

I mean, is that all "America's influence" in the world is worth anymore? We can influence "Albania, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau", and nowhere else? Good grief!

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