News reports indicate that, as the Associated Press reported: “The Council met for 2 1/2 hours in New York in the second day of an emergency session on Kosovo but was unable to agree on a resolution or joint statement regarding Sunday’s declaration of independence”.
The AP added that “[UNSG] Ban opened Monday’s Security Council session by citing the many peaceful celebrations that accompanied Kosovo’s declaration but also noting scattered violence. He said the United Nations had achieved ‘peace consolidation and the establishment of functional self-government’ in Kosovo’, including five successful elections. ‘Kosovo has made considerable progress through the he said. Serbian President Boris Tadic, who attended the U.N. meeting, urged the council to oppose Kosovo’s move and to intervene as a last resort. ‘The Republic of Serbia will not resort to force, said Tadic. ‘On the other hand, this arbitrary decision represents a precedent, which will cause irreparable damage to the international order’. He said Kosovo’s declaration ‘annuls international law, tramples upon justice and enthrones injustice’ …
‘America and the European Union are stealing Kosovo from us, everyone must realize that’, said Tomislav Nikolic, the head of Serbia’s ultra-nationalist Radical Party.”
The AP also reported that Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said: “The so-called Kosovo state will never be a member of the United Nations. Serbia will use all diplomatic means at its disposal to block Kosovo’s recognition”. And, the AP said in its report, “Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Russia’s special envoy to the Balkans, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying Moscow expected U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to abide by a Security Council resolution that recognized Kosovo as part of Serbia”.
As the AP notes, both Russia and China (two of the SC’s five Permanent Members) each have the power to veto any resolution that might be put on the table. A Presidential statement, which has less political and/or diplomatic weight than a resolution, represents a consensus — and thus could be blocked by the opposition of any one member. Even if there were no veto (which in this case is highly unlikely), a resolution would need the assent, and positive votes, of 9 of the 15 SC members.
This AP report is here.
AFP reported that President Tadic’s told the 15-member UN Security Council Monday that “This arbitrary decision represents a precedent, which will cause irreparable damage to the international order … There are dozens of various Kosovos in the world and all of them lie in wait for Kosovo act of secession to become a reality and to be established as an acceptable norm,” he added … [And] As President Tadic appealed to the UN Security Council in New York, in Belgrade, Serbia’s parliament met Monday in special session to ‘annul’ the independence declaration … Russia and Serbia failed again on Monday to persuade the UN Security Council to oppose Kosovo’s declaration — but nor has the Council given its stamp of approval to the independence process. China, like Russia a permanent member of the Security Council, expressed ‘grave concern’ over Kosovo’s declaration, which triggered new tensions between the Chinese and Taiwanese governments. ‘The unilateral move taken by Kosovo will lead to a series of consequences. China is deeply worried about its severe and negative impact on peace and stability in the Balkan region’, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. Long-time rival Taiwan warmly welcomed the independence declaration. ‘In no way should the independence of one nation be denied by another’, said the foreign ministry in Taiwan. China claims Taiwan is a renegade province which should be reunited with the mainland”.
This AFP report is here.