Secretary General of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President of the Government's Commission for Missing Persons Veljko Odalović believes that the new Special Court will provide answers to some questions regarding the crimes committed in Kosovo, and that perpetrators will be punished, and victims and their families will get peace and satisfaction, reports daily Blic today.

Dusan Janjic from the Belgrade-based Forum for Ethnic Relations said the first indictments of the specialist chambers cannot be expected before autumn and that they will involve people of influence in politics and security in Kosovo. Janjic said the approval of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence reaffirms the commitment of the international community to criminally prosecute war crimes in Kosovo.

B92 reported on the statement of the Chair of the Serbian Assembly Committee for Kosovo, Milovan Drecun, who said that the Special Court for KLA War Crimes is the last chance to prosecute crimes committed by KLA members.

He further said that the Working Group, established by the Assembly Committee gathered all the evidences related to the war crimes, responsible bodies in Serbia have, and they would be put on disposal to the Kosovo Special Prosecution.

The Assembly of Kosovo might hold during the following days a debate for amendment of the Law on the Special Chambers and the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor. The Commission for Legislation has decided to return the request of six MPs for an Assembly debate on the Special Court, to the Assembly Presidency.

Despite many statements about the start of Special Court indictments in June of this year, it appears that this will happen six months later.

Statement of one of the judges of this Court hinted that the initial indictments cannot be raised before December.

Charles L. Smith said for the local daily “Nonpareil” that he “will not be traveling for Hague before the end of the year, because this is how much time would be required for the indictments to be concluded by the prosecutor.”

Koha reports that the special court for Kosovo is now up and running following the adoption of the rules of procedure and evidence by specialist chambers judges today. In a press release issued by the Specialist Chambers, the set or rules are described as aiming to enhance the fairness, expeditiousness, efficiency, integrity and security of the proceedings before the Specialist Chambers, while complying with the Constitution and the highest human rights standards.

The government of Kosovo has set aside over €1.5 million for legal aid to persons that could be indicted by specialist chamber. The funds were allocated in accordance to a legislation stipulating that persons indicted by the court could seek assistance in covering their legal fees. Analyst Imer Mushkolaj considers funding of legal assistance for special court indictees to be unacceptable. He said the indictees should not be paying their defence counsels from the Kosovo taxpayers’ money.

Representatives of KLA veterans associations have called on the Kosovo Assembly MPs to urgently vote on changing the law on special court so that it included trying crimes committed by Serb forces in Kosovo. KLA war association representatives made the call from inside the Assembly following the French court postponing a decision on the possible extradition Ramush Haradinaj to Serbia. KLA veterans said they would not leave the Assembly until the MPs vote on the changes proposed earlier in the session by PDK MP, Nait Hasani.

The lawyer for AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj, Arianit Koci, responded to the statements of the Serbian war crimes prosecutor Milan Petrovic that his client will be handed over to the specialist chambers by calling them untrue and speculations. Koci recalled the statement of the special court spokesperson, Avis Benes, earlier in the month saying that Haradinaj was not detained in France on the mandate of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. “We also heard from Ms.