Responses to Kosovo's proclaimed independence mixed
Updated: 2008-02-18 20:28
 Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin speaks to members of the media about Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia after Security Council meetings on the matter at UN headquarters in New York February 17, 2008. [Agencies]
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Indonesia deplores failed negotiations at the UN Security Council as Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, saying it cannot immediately decide whether to recognize its independence or not.
"With Kosovo unilaterally declaring independence, we deplore failure in the dialogue," Indonesian UN ambassador Marty Natalegawa was quoted Monday by the national Antara news agency as saying.
"Since the very beginning, we have wanted that the final status of Kosovo is achieved through peaceful dialogues," he told the agency in New York.
"At present, we are not in the position to recognize (Kosovo's independence). The Indonesian government is monitoring the latest developments of the settlement process, which we certainly hope to be in accordance with the international principles and realities on the ground," said Marty.
The Ugandan government is carefully studying Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence before it makes a decision to recognize it as a state or not.
Okello Oryem, Minister of State for International Affairs said Monday that Cabinet will discuss the declaration on Wednesday in the presence of President Yoweri Museveni before coming out with a position.
Singaporean Foreign Ministry said Monday that the country is still studying Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia.
Responding to media queries, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that it is a "controversial move that has many complex ramifications around the world." He added that "the situation under international law is not clear and the kind of precedent that could be set needs to be carefully assessed."
Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said on Monday that her country will not recognize the independence of Kosovo.
She told a press conference that it is never the New Zealand government's position to offer diplomatic recognition in such circumstances.
"We neither recognize nor not recognize," she told reporters, adding that the New Zealand government will not make a formal statement.
Clark also hoped Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia would not lead to violence.
For its part, the Sri Lankan government said it did not endorse the unilateral secession of Kosovo from the Republic of Serbia because it could pose a grave threat to international peace and security, the official Daily News said Monday.
The newspaper quoted a statement issued Sunday night by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo could set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations and the established global order of sovereign states.
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