The Legislative Committee decided today to sent to the Assembly the constitutional amendments for the establishment of the special court which will address war crimes allegations. The Presidency of the Assembly has yet to decide on the date when the amendments will be presented to the MPs.
The leader of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), Fatmir Limaj, called on Kosovo Assembly MPs not to vote in favor of the establishment of special court. According to him. this court violates Kosovo’s sovereignty. He said that the Kosovo Assembly is just a doll which cannot decide on things independently. Limaj made these comments after the Legislative Committee proceeded to the Assembly the constitutional amendments which open the way for the establishment of the special court.
Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli commented today on the recent events that took place in Kumanovo, FYROM. Although he stressed that problems in FYROM are not Kosovo’s he said he shared the pain of the families affected by the recent clashes in Kumanovo.
The two coalition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) have opposing views about the time period on which the special court accusations will be based. While the members of the LDK insist that the court should deal with the killings that occurred after the conflict in Kosovo, the PDK MPs say that postwar killings should not be mixed with the alleged crimes that happened during the conflict. According to the LDK MP Vjosa Osmani, the special court will deal with crimes that occurred from 1998 to the end of 2000.
Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Ganimete Musliu told the news site today that she will not vote in favor of the special court that is expected to address war crimes allegations in Kosovo. “In my opinion, this is going to be a political court and I have my doubts about trials that will be held in another country,” she said. Musliu, who recently visited Belgrade together with a group of Kosovo MPs, said she expects Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence soon.
International sources said that it is most likely the establishment of the special court will be put to vote at the Kosovo Assembly during May, namely between 21 and 25 May. “The special court will be established before 26 May which is when the UN Security Council meeting has been scheduled for,” said the unnamed source adding that Kosovo leaders have been informed that the court will have to be voted before this date.
Kosovo Assembly is scheduled to hold two plenary sessions this week but it will not discuss establishment of the special court in either, decided the Assembly presidency in its meeting today. Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli said they would include the establishment of the special court in the agenda as soon as the relevant commission submits it. He said it would be good for the draft law on special court to be discussed next week but that it is not certain this will be the case.
On a visit to Kosovo, the German Foreign Minister has reassured Kosovo about the planned special war crimes court, saying sensitive historical issues need to be dealt with openly. Germany's Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said that the creation of a special court on war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, during the conflict of the 1990s is an essential tool for Kosovo to deal with unresolved issues from the past.
Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli commented on recent developments in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) saying that Kosovo does not interfere in the country’s internal affairs. Veseli also spoke about the establishment of the special court saying there is no specific date set for when it would be put to a vote in the Assembly but noted that there needs to be a political consensus in Kosovo to preserve partnership with international community.