Kosovo president resigns to face war crimes charges

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci, a guerrilla leader during Kosovo’s war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s, resigned on Thursday and will face charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity at a special court based in The Hague.

Thaci said he was taking the step “to protect the integrity of the presidency of Kosovo” and to preserve the historical truth of who was the perpetrator, and who victim, in the conflict.

“We are a freedom-loving people and not vengeful,” the 52-year-old Thaci said at a news conference in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital. “That is why no claim may rewrite history. Kosovo has been the victim. Serbia has been the aggressor.”

Thaci was indicted in June along with nine other former rebel leaders by a special Kosovo court and associated prosecutor’s office based in The Hague, Netherlands, which were set up five years ago to investigate and try former ethnic Albanian rebel leaders for alleged war crimes.

The charges include murder, enforced disappearances, persecution, and torture.

The 1998-1999 war killed more than 10,000 people — most of them ethnic Albanians — and 1,641 people are still unaccounted for.

It was brought to an end by a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops.

Among others charged with committing crimes during and after the war is Kadri Veseli, a former parliament speaker and an opposition party leader, who said he planned to travel to The Hague on Thursday and was resigning from “all public political activities.”

Both Thaci and Veseli have denied committing any crimes.

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