Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Kosovo PM Resigns Following Summons From Hague War Court

Associated Press

   PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Kosovo's prime minister resigned Friday after being
   invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes
   against ethnic Serbs during and after the country's 1998-99 war.
   RamushHaradinajsaid he had agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo
   Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office next week and
   didn't want to appear there as prime minister.
   ``I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the
   government,''Haradinajsaid during a news conference.
   Haradinaj, who took office as prime minister in September 2017, said
   that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, ``I
   will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself
   as a fighter of my country.''
   Haradinajurged Kosovo's president to call an early parliamentary
   election and said he would be a candidate so he could return as prime
   minister ``because I am not accused.''
   The Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office
   were established at the European Union's urging after the Council of
   Europe, a human rights body, in 2011 reported allegations of widespread
   war crimes committed by the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army.
   The court, which is part of the Kosovo judicial system despite being
   based in the Netherlands, started questioning former Kosovo fighters
   this year.Haradinajwas one of the top KLA commanders during the war.

   Acquitted twice

   He has been prosecuted for alleged war crimes and acquitted twice
   before. A U.N. tribunal first cleared him of war crimes and crimes
   against humanity charges in 2008.
   The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
   Former Yugoslavia concluded in 2010 that witnesses had been intimidated
   and sent the case back for a partial retrial.Haradinajand
   twootherformer KLA commanders were acquitted in November 2012.
   A French court refused to extradite him to Serbia to face war crimes
   charges there, expressing concern he would not get a fair trial.
   At the time of the war, Kosovo was a Serbian province and KLA members
   mostly were ethnic Albanians. A bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo
   Albanian separatists and civilians led NATO to intervene by bombing
   Serbia in spring 1999.
   Kosovo eventually made a unilateral declaration of independence in 2008
   and it is recognized as a nation by the U.S. and most of the West, but
   not by Serbia and allies Russia and China.
   A European Union-facilitated dialogue to normalize ties between Kosovo
   and Serbia stalled last year afterHaradinajwon approval for a 100% tax
   on imported Serb goods until Belgrade recognizes Pristina.
   Haradinajresisted entreaties from the United States and the EU to lift
   or suspend the tax.
   ``Kosovo is having an unfair pressure for the price of Serbia's
   recognition,'' he said Friday.
   His resignation does not mean the tax will be lifted soon. Holding an
   election and forming a new government has taken at least three months
   in previous years.

.