18.2.2008
The Foreign Ministry, in a statement released yesterday
(17) has refused to endorse the unilateral secession of
Kosovo from the Republic of Serbia, noting that the move
was made without the consent of the majority of people
in Serbia. The full text of the Foreign Ministry media
release is as follows:
Sri Lanka has noted the unilateral declaration of Independence
(UDI) by Kosovo.
Sri
Lanka does not endorse the unilateral secession of Kosovo
from the Republic of Serbia. We note that the declaration
of independence was made without the consent of the majority
of the people of Serbia.
This
action by Kosovo is a violation of the Charter of the
United Nations, which enshrines the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Member States. Moreover, UN Security Council
Resolution 1244 of 10th June 1999 reaffirms commitment
to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States
of the region. This action is particularly regrettable,
since all efforts at reaching a negotiated political settlement
on the future status of Kosovo, as envisaged by the Security
Council Resolution 1244, have not been exhausted.
The
Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Kosovo could
set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international
relations, the established global order of sovereign States
and could thus pose a grave threat to international peace
and security.
Courtesy
- Government Information