Serbia’s initiative to ask the ICJ for its opinion on Kosovo’s independence makes sense — stated yesterday Prof. Tibor Varadi, the professor of international law and Serbia’s representative in the dispute with Croatia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Varadi said, “Given that recently the issue of independence and recognition and non-recognition in the cases of Kosovo, Ossetia and Abkhazia has become a hot topic, it’s hard for me, as a lawyer, not to support the idea that the highest legal instance in the world should give its opinion.”

According to Varadi, the question is now being asked of whether Serbia’s initiative will gain a majority in the UN General Assembly.

The Professor said, “The first big question is whether that question will even be posed, since a majority of the UN General Assembly needs to be in favor of it. It’s very hard to work out, because it is of course a political issue.” He surmised that Serbia’s initiative merited urgent procedure before the ICJ.

He explained, “The General Assembly itself can call for urgent procedure. There would be grounds for that, as there is good reason for this question to be taken from this very sensitive political controversy into calmer political waters.”