Court ends hearings on Kosovo independence

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The International Court of Justice in the Netherlands has concluded its hearings on Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia, the United Nations said.

Kosovo last year unilaterally declared itself independent of Serbia, prompting the U.N. General Assembly to ask the court for an advisory opinion on the legality of the move.

The court, also known as the World Court, heard from representatives of Serbia, 27 U.N. member states and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber ethnic Serbs and other minorities by about 9 to 1, a U.N. release stated.

The public hearings began Dec. 1 and concluded Friday with the court now ready to begin deliberations. The court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, is the U.N.'s principal judicial body.