February 18, 2008 - 15:18 AMT
Russia calls for UN Security Council immediate session
Russia has called for an immediate session of the UN Security Council to look into the issue of Kosovo's independence, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We expect the UN Mission in Kosovo and NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) will take immediate action to fulfill their mandates as authorized by the UN Security Council, including voiding the decisions of Pristina's local government and adopting severe administrative measures against them," it said.

"Unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence is a violation of the Serbian sovereignty, the UN Charter, the 1244 UN Security Council resolution, principles of the Helsinki Accords, the Kosovan constitutional framework and high level agreements within the framework of the Kosovo Contact Group.

"The decisions by the Kosovo leadership create the risk of an escalation of tension and inter-ethnic violence in the province and of new conflict in the Balkans," the statement said, the Ministry's press office reported.