Because of the provisional indictment of the Hague Special Court for Kosovo against the Kosovar President Hashim Thaci Due to alleged war crimes, the planned talks between Serbia and Kosovo in the United States are likely to fail on Saturday. Both Thaci and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti canceled their trip to Washington after the charges were brought to light.
The meeting scheduled by US Special Representative for Serbia and Kosovo, Richard Grenell, between Thaci, Hoti and their Serbian counterparts, President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, at the White House should bring the talks between the two states back on track. Irritation in Europe had triggered that the meeting had been organized without coordination with Brussels.
Thaci, the former commander of the “Kosovo Liberation Army” (KLA), is accused of murder, torture and persecution. According to the indictment, Thaci and other suspected perpetrators are responsible for nearly a hundred murders. The charges were brought in April and made public on Wednesday. It had yet to be confirmed by a judge, the statement of the special court said.
More than 13,000 people were killed during the 1998/99 Kosovo War. In 2008 Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, Belgrade still does not accept it.
