Members of
the U.N. cultural agency narrowly rejected Kosovo's bid for membership on
Monday in a victory for Serbia and Russia and a blow to Kosovo's mission for
global recognition as a state.
Most nations that participated in the vote at UNESCO
headquarters in Paris favored Kosovo's membership, with 92 "yes"
votes and 50 "no" votes and 29 abstentions.
But the bid needed the support of two-thirds of those voting,
or more than 94 "yes" votes, said Stanley Mutumba Simataa, the
Namibian diplomat presiding over the vote.
In Pristina, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga told The
Associated Press the decision was disappointing but vowed to push on with
efforts to become "an equal member of the international community."
"This is a missed opportunity to stay true to what the
organization stands for, which is inclusion and promotion of cooperation,"
he said.
Serbian officials, on the other hand, were jubilant.
"This decision reflects our intention never to give up Kosovo,"
Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said.
The heated debate highlighted east-west battle lines and
tapped into concerns in some countries that have their own separatist
movements.
Kosovo has been recognized by 111 countries since it declared
independence from Serbia in 2008. Russia, which backed Serbia in Kosovo's
1998-99 separatist war, has used its Security Council veto to block Kosovo from
becoming a full U.N. member.
Kosovo has won membership in the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund. Kosovo's predominantly ethnic Albanian leadership had promised
that if it became a UNESCO member, it would protect the cultural heritage of
Serbs, despite tensions that have lingered since the war.
Serbia had warned that allowing Kosovo into UNESCO would fuel
those tensions and hurt an EU-brokered dialogue aimed at normalizing ties
between the former foes.
The U.S. delegation supported Kosovo's bid, but no longer has
voting rights in UNESCO because of a funding flap.
Kosovo applied for UNESCO membership in September, and last
month the UNESCO Executive Board recommended that it be admitted during the
body's General Conference from Nov. 3 to 18./by AFP editing by newsflash
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