Kosovo independence not illegal, says UN court

Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was not illegal under international law, top UN judges say, BBC reports.

The ICJ was ruling on Serbia's claim that Kosovo's secession violated its territorial integrity.

The International Court of Justice's non-binding ruling may encourage other countries to recognise Kosovo.

The US and many EU countries support Kosovo's independence; Russia is strongly opposed to it.

Addressing the court in The Hague, ICJ president Hisashi Owada said international law "contains no applicable prohibition" of Kosovo's declaration of independence.

"Accordingly, [the court] concludes that the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law," he said.

As the Guardian earlier reported, a ruling saying the declaration of independence was legal will  have an impact on the wider international stage, bolstering demands for recognition by territories as diverse as Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria.