Kosovo Parliamentary Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said today that the establishment of the Tribunal would damage the image of Kosovo and its institutions. After the meeting of the parliament’s presidency, Krasniqi said local institutions need to have a unified position vis-à-vis the international community.
Krasniqi said Pristina received clear instructions from the U.S. Department of State that the tribunal needs to be established through a vote in parliament or else the decision would be made by the UN Security Council without asking Kosovo. Krasniqi also said that the government, namely the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, bear one part of the responsibility because they were directly involved in talks about the EULEX mandate and the establishment of the court. Krasniqi further said that President Jahjaga should have consulted political parties before making her statement on the tribunal.
Vetevendosje deputy leader Glauk Konjufca, who is a member of the parliament’s presidency, said Vetevendosje has already clarified its position against the tribunal. “The tribunal would damage Albanian national interests. Part of the blame falls on the government,” he added.
Konjufca also said that President Jahjaga made a hasty statement when she said that Kosovo is ready to cooperate with the international community in establishing the tribunal.
Ardian Gjini, head of the AAK parliamentary group, said this is a difficult time for Kosovo and that the whole situation could have been avoided. “Only the government is to blame. Such a tribunal would damage Kosovo’s reputation,” Gjini said.
