Belgrade - Serbian newspapers on Thursday announced a "great diplomatic victory" following a UN decision to seek an advisory legal opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence.

"Serbia's first diplomatic triumph in New York," "Great diplomatic victory" and "Serbia's win: Kosovo at the Court of Justice," mass- circulation dailies Blic and Vecernje Novosti trumpeted.

"Serbia's success in UN" was the headline in the state daily Politika.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted 77-6 to send the request to the ICJ at The Hague, with 74 abstentions.

The request read as follows: "Is the unilateral declaration of independence by the provisional institutions of self-government of Kosovo in accordance with international law?"

Serbia insists that Kosovo, with its majority Albanian population, is its territory and has warned that dismembering a sovereign state could trigger a wave of secessions worldwide.

The territory announced its independence in February and has since been recognized by nearly 50 countries, including the US and all but five European Union members.

Its promotion in the UN was however blocked by Serbia's superpower ally Russia.

In the debate ahead of the vote Wednesday, France and Britain, which recognize Kosovo, said its case is unique and therefore is not a threat to Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The US voted against Serbia's initiative.

The outcome of the vote particularly pleased the Serbs who feel that the West wanted to carve Kosovo out of Serbia and that the realization of the plan started even before the 1999 NATO bombing campaign which expelled Belgrade's army and police from the province.

"It wasn't easy being the ambassador of the US, Great Britain and France in the General Assembly ... It was difficult defending the position that Serbia has no right to seek opinion on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from the world's most eminent legal institution," a column in Blic said.

"Is anything more natural than ... somebody's claim for the rule of law? Can you imagine a situation where authorities in France, Great Britain or America advise citizens not to seek justice in court because they would anyway not heed to the court's ruling?" it said.

The nationalist end of the media was reflected in a huge headline on the front page of the tabloid daily Press, which read, "Serbia busts America in UN." (dpa)