Kosovo’s Premier Unexpectedly Resigns to Appear at War Crimes Court 

(Bloomberg) -- Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said he was stepping down from his post after he was summoned again as a suspect to the international war-crimes tribunal in The Hague.

His unexpected resignation Friday will trigger early elections in Kosovo, which is still struggling to win worldwide international recognition that’s needed to unlock its future.

“Governments and powers are interchangeable -- we live in a democracy,” Haradinaj said on Facebook, adding he was stepping down because “I have been called on to appear for questioning as a suspect” by the court next week. He said it was now up to President Hashim Thaci and political parties to set the date for a snap ballot.

This is the second time he’s resigned from the position of premier. He did so first in 2005, when the tribunal indicted him of war crimes. He was acquitted twice on lack of evidence. Thaci, who like Haradinaj was once leader in the Kosovo Liberation Army that fought for independence against Serbia, said on Facebook that his advisor Bismil Zyrapi and “several other former KLA officers” were also called to The Hague.

Prime minister since 2017, Haradinaj has been one of Kosovo’s most popular politicians. His support has soared since last year after he imposed 100% import tariffs on all Serb goods in response to its neighbors success in blocking it from joining Interpol.

Despite pressure from international leaders who say the levies are hurting chances to mend ties, Haradinaj has vowed to keep them in place until Serbia recognized Kosovo’s independence. His resignation may unblock the stalled talks between Kosovo and Serbia, as other leaders, including Thaci, appear more favorable toward dropping them.

KLA Officers

Serbia, backed by Russia and China, refuses to recognize Kosovo and has blocked its efforts to join the United Nations and other international institutions. The two sides must improve relations to progress toward membership in the European Union.

Serb President Aleksandar Vucic, who served as Information Minister to the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic, and Thaci have floated the idea of redrawing the borders between the two countries. That plan has run into fierce opposition from politicians in the EU for its potentially explosive impact in a region still recovering from Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Tension with Serbia and Kosovo’s majority Albanians has simmered for all of the 20th century, culminating in a 1998-99 war. Fighting was halted by a NATO bombing campaign that drove Serb forces out of Kosovo at the end of June 1999. About 3,600 international soldiers have remained to keep the peace. Both Serbs and Kosovars have been accused of war crimes.

More than a half of Kosovo’s citizens, frustrated with slow progress toward EU entry and years of delays of visa liberalization, unemployment and corruption, believe their country is on the wrong track, according to a survey conducted by the National Democratic Institute in March. A majority of Kosovo’s youth would leave the country if they had the chance, the survey showed, a trend also seen in other Balkan countries, including Serbia.

To contact the reporters on this story: Gordana Filipovic in Belgrade at gfilipovic@bloomberg.net;Jasmina Kuzmanovic in Zagreb at jkuzmanovic@bloomberg.net;Misha Savic in Belgrade at msavic2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey

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