Kosovo's parliament voted to change the constitution on Monday and create a war crimes court, which the West wants to try ethnic Albanian former guerrillas for alleged war crimes including organ harvesting.

The vote was held just one month after parliament first tried to approve the creation of the court, seen by many Kosovo Albanians as an attempt to tarnish their 1998-99 guerrilla war against Serbian rule.

The constitutional changes were endorsed by 82 deputies in the 120-seat parliament.

Kosovo Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said today in his address to the Kosovo Assembly, that Kosovo must clarify allegations of crimes committed during and after the war. “Kosovo needs to act responsibly vis-à-vis the obligations it has assumed. Resubmitting the constitutional amendments [on the special court] protects Kosovo’s sovereignty. It will be damaging for Kosovo if this issue is decided according to the UN Security Council Resolution 1244,” Mustafa said.

The head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Glauk Konjufca, said today that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci is using undemocratic means to convince his MPs to vote in favor of special court. Konjufca during the meeting of the Assembly Presidency said that Thaci was blackmailing his MPs by telling them that they would not be on the elections lists if they do not vote for the establishment of the special court.

The Presidency of the Assembly of Kosovo decided today that the constitutional amendments that enable the establishment of the special court to be put into a vote on Monday. At the time when the Presidency voted on the agenda for the Monday's session, opposition representatives abandoned the meeting.

Yesterday in Pristina, the main topics were “securing” of parliamentary majority for the adoption of constitutional amendments related to the establishment of the Special Court and details of Kosovo's candidacy to UNESCO. In both cases, everything revolved around the head of the Kosovo diplomacy and PDK leader Hashim Thaci, who promised the West that supposedly next week, he will ensure votes of the constitutional amendments necessary for the Special Court. Kosovo Assembly postponed summer vacation, and speculations from Pristina are that Thaci is missing a few votes.

The Kosovo government announced on Thursday that it is ready to call another vote on the controversial special court afterit failed to gain approval in parliament last month because of opposition from many MPs.

The government of Kosovo tomorrow will review and submit to the Kosovo Assembly the constitutional amendments that enable the establishment of the special court and the draft-law for the legal protection and financial support for the accused individuals. This was announced today through a press release sent by Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s Office.

The new United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Gregory Delawie, said on Wednesday that Kosovo’s leaders should establish the special court as soon as possible. “The next couple of days will be crucial for the country. I honestly hope that Kosovo will pass the legislation on the establishment of the special court, and bring justice for those who suffered at the hands of those involved in crime. The failure of local institutions to establish this court means that many things will go backwards,” Delawie said during a ceremony at the State Department in Washington.

The news site reports that the opposition parties, with the initiative of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) are planning to block the work of the Kosovo Assembly in the session when they are expected to vote for the constitutional amendments that enable the establishment of the special court. "The goal is that the opposition MPs to physically block the entrance of the hall where the session is expected to take place, and not allow the MPs to enter the session,” said a senior official of one of the opposition parties who preferred to remain anonymous.

Kosovo’s Principal Deputy Prime Minister and Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader, Hashim Thaci, said today that next week the Kosovo government will submit to the Assembly the constitutional amendments for the formation of the special court. After a meeting of the PDK parliamentary group, Thaci said he was confident that the Assembly will vote in favor of the special court, “because this is for the good of Kosovo and its partnership with the international community”.