5 December 2004 -- The UN administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) has refused a Serb request to annul the appointment of former Albanian rebel leader Ramush Haradinaj as Kosovo's prime minister.
UNMIK said the 3 December appointment expressed the legitimate wishes of the Kosovo parliament.
Haradinaj is a former senior commander in the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK). Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica on 4 December said Haradinaj's appointment would present a serious blow to negotiations on the final status of Kosovo.
Belgrade has accused Haradinaj of being one of the principal instigators behind a campaign of anti-Serb violence that has forced more than 200,000 ethnic-Serbs to flee since the UN arrived in the province.
On 5 December, former Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic accused Haradinaj of having committed 67 murders and ordered 267 others.
The Serbian province has been administered by the UN since a NATO bombing campaign forced the withdrawal of Serb forces in 1999. Ethnic Albanians in the province are seeking independence. Serbs would like Kosovo to remain part of Serbia.
(dpa/AFP)
Haradinaj is a former senior commander in the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK). Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica on 4 December said Haradinaj's appointment would present a serious blow to negotiations on the final status of Kosovo.
Belgrade has accused Haradinaj of being one of the principal instigators behind a campaign of anti-Serb violence that has forced more than 200,000 ethnic-Serbs to flee since the UN arrived in the province.
On 5 December, former Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic accused Haradinaj of having committed 67 murders and ordered 267 others.
The Serbian province has been administered by the UN since a NATO bombing campaign forced the withdrawal of Serb forces in 1999. Ethnic Albanians in the province are seeking independence. Serbs would like Kosovo to remain part of Serbia.
(dpa/AFP)