The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek welcomed the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the declaration of independence of Kosovo.

"The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has shown its strong commitment to promoting international peace and stability, with regard to what the EU perceives to be a sui generis case.

The international community should respect the advisory opinion of the ICJ. Taking this into account, the two sides should use the opinion as an instrument for reconciliation rather than as an excuse for prolonging their diplomatic dispute.  Now the leaders of both sides need to agree on a workable and permanent solution, which is in the interest of their people, the people of the Western Balkans as well as the European Union and the whole international community.

The European Parliament strongly supports the integration of the entire Western Balkans in the European Union as stated in the conclusions of the 2003 Thessaloniki summit. I encourage all partners in the region to remain committed to that aim. This needs to take place in a framework of good neighbourly relations, legal certainty and respect for the rule of law.

I welcome Serbia's tangible efforts to improve its relations with its neighbours: the declaration on Srebrenica and the continuous improvement in relations with Croatia are two eminent examples.

Ultimately, reconciliation will be achieved fully not through court rulings, but rather when peoples in the Balkans will be able to live, move and trade freely and peacefully."

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Background note:

The European Parliament adopted on 8 July 2010 a resolution on the European integration process of Kosovo which can be found at the following link.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2010-0281+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN


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For further information:
Inga Rosińska
Spokeswoman
Mobile: +32 498 981 354