War crimes prosecutor stunned by relations between Haradinaj and chiefs of UNMIK
Outgoing UN war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte on Monday harshly criticized the UN mission in Kosovo, saying that she has been stupefied by relations of several consecutive administrators with top-profile ethnic Albanian war crimes indictee Ramush Haradinaj.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, December 11, 2007
"I have nothing against personal friendship between friends, except when it has a chilling effect on my witnesses," Del Ponte told a press conference in UN's New York headquarters.
Del Ponte had been repeatedly warning of fishy relations between top-ranking international officials in Kosovo and the former commander of Kosovo Liberation Army's western front and ex-premier Haradinaj, who has often been described as a "guarantee of the stability" in the troubled province.
"They have been saying that security depends on Haradinaj, who has been indicted for war crimes. That we know because we investigated his case and brought up the indictment," she said.
The tide of unusually warm relations between UNMIK chief and Haradinaj started during the rule of the second administrator, current French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and continued throughout the Sorren Jessen-Petersen era. In the most recent development, controversial deputy chief of UN mission in Kosovo, former U.S. General Steven Schook praised Haradinaj's performance as province's prime minister.
The 37-count indictment alleges that Haradinaj was a member of a joint criminal enterprise between March and September 1998, the alleged purpose of which was to exert control over territory and target both Serb and Albanian civilians. The charges are vigorously denied by Haradinaj.
Del Ponte' deputy, David Tolbert said that threats and intimidation of witnesses have been widespread practices in former Yugoslavia, but added that a handful of cases involving Kosovo Albanians have been followed by the worst intimidation of witnesses.
