New Delhi, Aug 9: Against the backdrop of its hesitation to recognise Kosovo as an independent country, India today reserved its view on the International Court of Justice’s endorsement of the 2008 unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo from Serbia.
 “We are studying the Opinion of the ICJ (International Court of Justice) on the Kosovo issue,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said in a statement here.
 He was commenting on ICJ president Hisashi Owada’s statement that “The declaration of February 17, 2008 (by Kosovo) did not violate general international law.”
 Owada rejected Serbia’s argument that Kosovo’s declaration of independence from it had no legal basis.
 Kosovo declared independence in February, 2008, years after the bloody 1998-99 war with Serbia and nearly a decade of international administration.
 Prakash added that India’s position on “Kosovo’s UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independence) has not changed.”
 Earlier, after Kosovo declared independence in 2008, India had made clear its hesitation to recognise it.
 “We have taken note of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Kosovo. There are several legal issues involved in this declaration.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 9 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
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