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Kosovo diplomat asks probe on Serbia’s alleged hiding of mass graves
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TIRANA, Albania - A former Kosovar diplomat urged Albania and other friendly countries to his homeland Kosovo, to launch an investigation at the Council of Europe on alleged mass graves which, according to him, Serbia tries to hide.
Former Kosovar ambassador to Sweden, Lulzim Peci referred to recent words from Serb politician, Nenad Canak on the existence of 16 mass graves with Kosovar ethnic Albanians in Serbia.
Peci said that the Council of Europe should launch the same kind of investigation as it did with Kosovo, following a report drafted by Swiss official, Dick Marty who claimed there had been alleged organ trafficking from the fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1998-1999 war.
“Albania and the other friendly countries to Kosovo should urge the launch of an investigation at the Council of Europe similar to that made by Dick Marty which should cover the accountability of the current and previous leaders in Serbia for hiding crimes against humanity,” said Peci. A special court has been set up in The Hague, Netherlands to prosecute crimes committed by ethnic Albanian rebels during and in the immediate aftermath of Kosovo's war for independence. The court funded from the European Union tries crimes allegedly committed in 1999-2000 by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political opponents.The court has international judges and prosecutors who apply Kosovo law.
Some 10,000 people died and 1,641 are still missing during the 1998-1999 war as Kosovo fought to break away from Serbia.
Earlier this year both Kosovar President Hashim Thaci, former Kosovo assembly speaker Kadri Veseli, and a number of other former KLA fighters were questioned by the Hague based Specialist Chambers.
Judges at the Specialist Chambers haven't made a decision on whether to proceed with the case or throw it out. Peci also said that the EU should not continue its talks with Serbia on its membership until Belgrade acknowledges all the blame. “Serbia has not had and does not have the political will to treat such terrible crimes. That is why the EU should not continue Serbia’s integration process without it denouncing its guilty people,” said Peci.
It is not clear, though, whether Albania would listen to such a call to launch such a move at the CoE. During the last days Albania and Serbia were involved in a bitter diplomatic exchange after Serb officials invoked a slur against ethnic Albanians and spoke degradingly of efforts to find the remains of victims of internecine Balkan conflict two decades ago.
Serbia's bloody crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists in 1999 was stopped by the 78-day NATO bombing. Kosovo's 2008 independence has been recognized by 111 countries, including the U.S. and major European Union nations but a bilateral agreement which would imply Serbia’s recognition hasn't been reached.
