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A contradiction in world politics: Colombo

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Monday denounced the unilateral declaration of Independence by Kosovo as a violation of the Charter of the United Nations and said it did not endorse the move.

“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, U.N. 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,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Separately, in a signed article titled ‘Kosovo-Lessons for Sri Lanka’, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the U.N. office in Geneva, Dayan Jayatilaka, argued that the island nation should never withdraw armed forces from any part of its territory in which they are challenged and never permit foreign presence.

The envoy said that the open secession of Kosovo and its `imminent recognition’ by powerful Western states takes place notwithstanding UN Resolution 1244 of 1999 which recognizes Kosovo as part of Serbia. Quoting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov he said that the recognition of Kosovo’s independence runs contrary to the very basis of international law and is fraught with consequences for Europe and other parts of the world.

At least 51 LTTE cadre, three soldiers and a priest were killed in the north and east, said the military.

The Defence Ministry claimed that security forces stepped-up multi-pronged attacks at LTTE positions in Wanni and North inflicting “heavy damage.”

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