UN Says ‘No’ to Kosovo

Kosovo Did not Pass at UNESCO, But Serbia Will Never Pass in Kosovo!

The UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (June 10, 1999) and Plan of 6 Points for Kosovo, adopted by the UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon on November 28, 2008, said, NO Kosovo in UNESCO. To be honest I am not surprised by UNESCO’s NO for Kosovo full membership.

I knew that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 was adopted unanimously without reserve (November 28, 2008). However, Serbia will collide with Kosovo in order to reestablish its previous colonial sovereignty upon Kosovo (1912-1999). For this purpose, they conducted political negotiations between official Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels (2013-2015).

These two United Nations documents do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Unfortunately these two mentioned documents are supported legally, politically and diplomatically by the United Nations and the European Union(EU) on the basis to bring together tete a tete Serbian and Albanian parties in Brussels bilateral negotiations to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo. However this is not fair, making a big question mark for Kosovo independence and sovereignty.

The past Cold War did not affect the rejection of Kosovo in UNESCO. Certainly, Belgrade, Moscow and Beijing have not lobbied other countries of the United Nations that Kosovo should not be admitted to UNESCO based on the Cold War recidivists. However, Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council has already been recognized by 109 countries of the international community (OUN).

So, the iron barrier for Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO and the UN, undoubtedly, are the two main factors: (1) UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and Ban Ki Moon’s Plan of 6 Points that constituted the legal basis of non-recognition of Kosovo’s independence. However, regardless of the fact that these two documents are a juridical and political “product” of the United Nations, still these are contradictory with the international norms, principles and regulations as well as with the assessment of the International Court of Justice (July 22, 2010) that Kosovo’s independence is fully in accordance with the spirit of international law.

Therefore, we need to consider the fact that, until repealed, the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and Ban Ki Moon’s Plan of 6 Points, Kosovo will never be admitted to the UN or its institutions, as is UNESCO, which left out Kosovo as did the Security Council of the United Nations, thanks to the Russia’s VETO.

Mehdi Hyseni is an Albanian Ph.D. in International Political Relations, residing in Boston.