Belgrade has told the UN’s top court that Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence is a “flagrant violation” of Serbia’s territorial integrity.

It comes as the International Court of Justice begins examining the legality of Kosovo’s move to declare itself independent from a UN member state in peacetime. Vuk Jeremic, the Serbian foreign minister, said: “We expect that the overwhelming opinion of the international community is going to be such that unilateralism has not won the day, that you can’t unilaterally resolve the problems of the world, you cannot impose solutions from the outside. You basically need to sit down and negotiate until a compromise is found.” As it stands 63 countries have recognised Kosovo as an independent state, including the US and 22 EU member states. If the court rules in favour of Kosovo, more nations are expected to recognise it and Kosovo can look forward to UN member status. Nine days of hearings have been scheduled and 30 nations are due to deliver oral statements.More about: Independence, Kosovo, United Nations

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