Morning Brief: International court validates Kosovo declaration of independence

Posted By David Kenner

Top story: The International Court of Justice ruled yesterday that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008 did not violate international law. The ruling, which will likely pave the way for other countries to recognize Kosovo's statehood, was hailed as a victory by the country's ethnic Albanian majority. Kosovar Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni said the decision marked a "great day for Kosovo," and called on the government of Serbia, which Kosovo had split away from, to open diplomatic relations with his government.

The court's decision, however, was written in the most cautious way possible, in an attempt to avoid encouraging other separatist movements from seeking statehood. The court refrained from concluding that that the state of Kosovo was legal under international law. That determination, its ruling implied, would only be determined by the recognition of other countries throughout the world. 69 countries, including the United States and a majority of European Union nations, currently recognize Kosovo.
Countries that face the threat of secessionist movements had been particularly vocal in their opposition to Kosovar independence. Russia, China, and Spain all presented arguments at the Hague last December opposing Kosovo's case before the court. China, which faces separatist movements in Tibet and among the Uighur population in its province of Xinjiang, felt so strongly about the case that it made its first oral pleading to the court since the 1960s.

Pakistan army chief's term extended: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilana announced that Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's term as the head of the army would be extended another three years. Gilani praised Kayani's record in battling Taliban forces that have threatened to destabilize Pakistan, saying that the general "has successfully led us in this war, and his staying on is in our best interests." Kayani had been scheduled to retire in November, at the end of a three year stint at the head of the army.