Kosovan independence 'not illegal'

The UN has ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was not illegal. The International Court of Justice rejected claims from Belgrade that the unilateral move had violated its territorial integrity but the government there said that they would never recognise the secession; the non-binding decision was welcomed by Kosovan officials, however, who insisted that all doubt about its international status had now been removed.

The thorny issue of Kosovan independence has been a divisive issue for the international community, with around a third of UN members formally recognising the Republic as a nation state in its own right. Many others have decided against any such recognition, blaming their hesitancy on the legality of the secession and the way in which Serbia was not consulted. Many of the countries which themselves suffer with the prospect of breakaway regions have come out against, no doubt worried what sort of precedent Kosovan independence would have on their own domestic affairs. Whether this announcement will change that remains to be seen.

A good example is Spain. For years the Kingom has struggled with separatist movements in the Basque Country, Catalonia and - to a lesser degree - in Galicia, and will no doubt be keen to see the national integrity of existent states upheld as paramount. Such a stance is at odds with policy followed by the European Union, with almost every other member state formerly recognising the independence of a Pristina-based administration. Other key states to oppose the moves include China - its enthusiasm no doubt tempered by its trouble with Taiwan, over which it continues to claim jurisdiction - and Russia, a long-time supporter of Serbian nationalism. The latter's resident Vladimir Putin even described the events as "a terrible precedent which will de facto blow apart the whole system of international relations, developed not over decades, but over centuries."

But there are some interesting exceptions. Take the United Kingdom; a nation state riddled with its own nationalist movements, the UK was among the first batch of countries to recognise the Kosovan Republic. The then prime minister Gordon Brown declared that the move would "close the chapter" following the break-up of Yugoslavia and help carry Kosovo to "a prosperous future." Britain, of course, took an active part in the 1999 NATO bombing of the region and still contributes to peacekeeping forces in Kosovo.

Spain, however, may have a point. Several secessionist movements around the world have welcomed the independence of Kosovo, with several demanding that their own aspirations for political autonomy be afforded the same treatment. It's a certainty that many will welcome the UN's latest pronouncement.

But it's true to say that, for the time being at least, the ruling will change little on the ground; Kosovo will still regard itself as independent and will try to behave as such, whilst Serbia will want to reassert its authority over a region which holds a particularly strong resonance within Serb nationalism. But this recognition of a breakaway state by an important international body could do much to bolster the confidence of similar movements elsewhere, of which there are many. The ruling elite of many of the larger countries with their own shaky borders may find that this decision makes for uncomfortable reading indeed.