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Serbian government, top Serbia-Montenegrin officials request that UNMIK chief annul Haradinaj's appointment as Kosovo prime minister

Belgrade, 4 December 2004

Top Serbia-Montenegrin officials who attended a Serbian government session today criticized the appointment of Ramush Haradinaj as new Kosovo prime minister, stressing that Haradinaj's election endangers efforts to find a joint solution to the province's problems, said Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica at today's press conference

The government, whose session was attended by Serbian President Boris Tadic, Serbian parliament speaker Predrag Markovic, Serbia-Montenegrin Council of Ministers representatives Vuk Draskovic and Prvoslav Davinic, and Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija head Nebojsa Covic, decided to demand that UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Petersen cancel the decision on Haradinaj's appointment as Kosovo prime minister, Kostunica told a press conference today.

According to Kostunica, the session was also attended by Milan Dilparic, a judge of the Belgrade District Court's war crimes council, who told participants in the session that Haradinaj is under investigation and that he is wanted for a crime committed in Djakovica in 1999. Dilparic also said that 108 criminal charges have been filed against Haradinaj.

Noting that the Serbian government has not reacted to any appointment in Kosovo's interim institutions so far, the Prime Minister said that foreign governments and officials have joined the Serbian government in its reaction to Haradinaj's appointment.

He also recalled that EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said that a person, who may be convicted for war crimes, is not an adequate person for the post of Kosovo's prime minister.

Kostunica added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will forward the government's decision to the UNMIK chief, the UN Security Council, the Contact Group, the Council of Europe and the European Union. According to him, new steps may be taken after discussions with all parliament caucuses.

The Prime Minister expressed doubt that those who supported Haradinaj's election will allow his extradition if he should face indictment by The Hague tribunal.

He also noted that Jessen-Petersen has displayed bias in Kosovo, being supportive of Haradinaj's appointment and at the same time seeking to exclude Belgrade from Kosovo decentralisation talks.