-Caveat Lector-
Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Russia Seeks Court's View on Kosovo
By NICOLE WINFIELD
.c The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Russia wants the World Court to determine the legal
consequences of NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia, which Moscow says violate
international law.
Ambassador Sergey Lavrov introduced a draft resolution Monday to a General
Assembly committee that deals with strengthening the United Nations and
upholding its charter.
Moscow has argued that NATO action over the Kosovo dispute is illegal because
the U.N. Security Council didn't explicitly authorize it. Russia also says
the strikes against its Serb allies violate the fundamental goal of the
United Nations, which is to maintain peace in the world.
The draft request doesn't mention Kosovo, NATO or Yugoslavia by name, but
diplomats said the intent of the resolution was clear: to give Russia another
chance to formally object to the NATO assault on its allies in Belgrade.
The draft cites the U.N. Charter in saying individual nations and regional
organizations cannot use force against sovereign states without the
authorization of the Security Council.
``No considerations, whether political, economic, military or of any other
kind, may be used to justify the threat or use of force in violation of the
Charter of the United Nations,'' it says.
It requests ``as a matter of urgency,'' that the International Court of
Justice give its opinion on the legal consequences such unauthorized
intervention would have for the United Nations and for peace in the world.
The court, also known as the International Court of Justice, is based in The
Hague, Netherlands, and handles disputes between states. It has no
enforcement powers and relies on voluntary compliance with its rulings.
U.S. officials said they were studying the Russian draft but noted that it
may be difficult for the court to even consider because the Russians were
asking for a ruling on a theoretical question -- not a concrete dispute
between states.
Russia brought its position before the 15-member U.N. Security Council last
month and was resoundingly defeated when it failed to get a resolution
demanding an end to the strikes.
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