Paris daily takes scathing look at Haradinaj case

Provisional release for Ramush Haradinaj is a new blow to Carla Del Ponte, Le Monde said today. It is a process in which the U.S. and British support to the former prime minister of Kosovo, who is indicted for war crimes against Serbs, Roma and Albanians in that province reaches as far as the Hague tribunal, the Paris daily claims. Paris daily takes scathing look at Haradinaj case "The trial of the former leader of the KLA might end with a painful defeat of the prosecutor, because influential British and U.S. lawyers count with a verdict of release for Haradinaj," the paper said. Developments to the benefit of Haradinaj, who has had a continuous support of UNMIK in Pristina, would mean his speedy return to the political scene at the moment crucial for the province's future, concluded Le Monde, adding that Haradinaj "never actually left the political scene, despite the trial for war crimes". "This is the case which some did not even want to see in court, the case in which we had small support at international and local levels," the daily quoted Del Ponte, the chief Hague prosecutor, as saying. Le Monde recalled that several witnesses had withdrawn their testimonies and quoted a statement by Sefcet Kabashi, one of the former Albanian separatist leaders, who had refused to testify because he did not believe in the court's capacity to protect him, after some of the people whose names were on the witness list had been murdered. "I do not wish receive measures of protection because protection (…) exists in the court room only," said Kabashi. The murder of "No. 1 witness" Kujtim Berisha in Montenegro was not investigated because the ICTY "is not capable of carrying out a parallel investigation," the daily quoted an unidentified source within the ICTY. In a statement with Le Monde, the source said that the tribunal "had performed, for the second time, a shameful lack of respect" by refusing to recognize the KLA victim his witness status. "The witness in question is a poor Roma, but who cares about him. He was not a non-smoker, he did not speak English or French, he was not a wonderful man," Le Monde's source said ironically. The problem with witnesses is not the only reason for the anticipated failure of the indictment, the Paris daily evaluated, adding that the reasons for this fiasco should also be sought in the U.S. and British support to Haradinaj, which is extended as far as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Paris daily takes scathing look at Haradinaj case

"The trial of the former leader of the KLA might end with a painful defeat of the prosecutor, because influential British and U.S. lawyers count with a verdict of release for Haradinaj," the paper said.

Developments to the benefit of Haradinaj, who has had a continuous support of UNMIK in Priština, would mean his speedy return to the political scene at the moment crucial for the province's future, concluded Le Monde, adding that Haradinaj "never actually left the political scene, despite the trial for war crimes".

"This is the case which some did not even want to see in court, the case in which we had small support at international and local levels," the daily quoted Del Ponte, the chief Hague prosecutor, as saying.

Le Monde recalled that several witnesses had withdrawn their testimonies and quoted a statement by Sefcet Kabashi, one of the former Albanian separatist leaders, who had refused to testify because he did not believe in the court's capacity to protect him, after some of the people whose names were on the witness list had been murdered.

"I do not wish receive measures of protection because protection (…) exists in the court room only," said Kabashi.

The murder of "No. 1 witness" Kujtim Berisha in Montenegro was not investigated because the ICTY "is not capable of carrying out a parallel investigation," the daily quoted an unidentified source within the ICTY.

In a statement with Le Monde, the source said that the tribunal "had performed, for the second time, a shameful lack of respect" by refusing to recognize the KLA victim his witness status.

"The witness in question is a poor Roma, but who cares about him. He was not a non-smoker, he did not speak English or French, he was not a wonderful man," Le Monde's source said ironically.

The problem with witnesses is not the only reason for the anticipated failure of the indictment, the Paris daily evaluated, adding that the reasons for this fiasco should also be sought in the U.S. and British support to Haradinaj, which is extended as far as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.