The statement of EULEX Chief Investigator, Clint Williamson, that he possess the indisputable evidence to press charges against several former senior KLA officials for war crimes – has caused a hush in the Kosovo Albanian public.
Excluding public statement that the report “will end doubts about unproved accusations,” in Pristina press are prevailing restrained, but worried reactions of political parties, and only some local political analysts have the courage to say that the report is a heavy burden for Kosovo.
Only the quote of Pristina daily Zeri that Kosovo “is trembling from Williamson,” was close to the New York Times story which cited that “the statement of Williamson is a shot for Kosovo, a poor little country that is struggling to gain international legitimacy after declared independence, with the support of the United States and most EU member states.”
Regardless of the fact Williamson did not mention any name, the consequences of the existence of sealed indictments, pending the establishment of a special court, are the sword over the current political elite of Kosovo.
At the time, a similar situation was in Belgrade, which gradually learned about the disclosure of secret indictments that slowly moved away generals and politicians from the political scene. The indictment against Momcilo Perisic, Deputy Prime Minister in Djindjic’s government was made public in 2005. Indictment against Police General and deputy minister Sreten Lukic, in October 2003, caused a real political explosion. But it did not help. It didn’t help either when more than 2,000 police officers protested outside government with message that this is an indictment against all of them, “Because there’s no police officer who was not in Kosovo.” All those against whom were secret indictments, whether they were in the government or not, ended up in The Hague, or committed suicides, like Milosevic’s Police minister, Vlajko Stojiljkovic.
Although the German television in the news reported that among those accused of war crimes is Hashim Thaci, the lead editor of the Pristina daily Koha Ditore, Agron Bajrami, believes that Mr. Williamson’s report will not affect the formation of the government.
“The formation of the government is terminated due to internal political squabbles and the fact that the PDK and its leader, incumbent Prime Minister Thaci, cannot imagine themselves in opposition. He added that it remains to be seen whether the report will in the future affect the composition of the government, but that Kosovo, before initiating a single indictment, will have a government or new elections.
Analyst Dusan Janjic believes that the government will not be formed without Thaci, because a serious, two-thirds majority is required to pass the legislation and amend the Constitution, in order to establish the court. He stressed that the international community’s experience shows that exactly the former commanders, the people who know who committed the crime, even if they have a little “butter on the head”, are ideal to solve this issue that is the number one priority to foreigners. “The reason for that is not because they want to deal with war crimes, but because they need, as in our case, control as a powerful mechanism to influence the restructuring of the political elite of Kosovo and to open places for the new people.”
Except for the fact that the Albanian political leaders are really shocked they are no longer beloved of the Americans and that it is clearly underlined to them that since July 1999 they are no longer NATO partners, everything is already seen in the example of Serbia. Now they will have to work under pressure of Criminal Tribunal, and sword will keep the prosecutor, who will decide when and against whom to “unpack” the indictment. All it will take five to ten years, until all positions will take over a new generation of politicians, who were educated under international patronage.
Thus, after a 15-year honeymoon, Kosovo’s political establishment was introduced a powerful control mechanism, the life of EULEX was extended and the role of the Americans strengthened, and they voted for it.
