The Haradinaj Affair by Nebojsa Malic Kosovo "Prime Minister" Indicted
Three months after he was appointed "prime minister" in the "provisional government" of the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj has stepped down and surrendered to the Hague Inquisition. He did so after receiving a sealed indictment, whose contents had not been made public as of Tuesday night. Haradinaj's surrender earned lavish praise from the United States and the UN viceroy, as well as generally positive coverage in the mainstream Western media, in a marked contrast with the tradition of considering the indictment as proof of guilt. Though authorities and public opinion in Serbia may interpret Haradinaj's indictment as a sign of the Inquisition's impartiality - which even the media concede must be the ICTY's intent - and a change in the "international community's" position regarding Kosovo, the truth is most likely nothing of the sort. The push to grant Albanians the independence of the territory they seized through NATO's intervention is proceeding apace, and chances are Haradinaj's surrender will be used to further that cause rather than hinder it. Lamenting the Golden Boy The indictment and resignation of Our Man Ramush, though rumored for over a week, still came as a shock to some. A reporter for The Times of London lamented, "These war crimes charges are very much a destabilizing act, with destabilizing consequences for a fragile Kosovo." Kosovo's UN viceroy, Soeren Jessen-Petersen, who had just celebrated a major KLA anniversary with Haradinaj the evening before, issued a pathos-soaked statement Tuesday morning: "Thanks to Ramush Haradinaj's dynamic leadership, strong commitment and vision, Kosovo is today closer than ever before to achieving its aspirations in settling its future status. Personally, I am saddened to no longer be working with a close partner and friend. The decision announced by Mr. Haradinaj to cooperate with the Tribunal, despite his firm conviction of innocence, and although painful for him, his family, Kosovo and for his many friends and partners, including in UNMIK, is at the same time an example of Kosovo's growing political maturity as a responsible member of the international community." [.pdf] Jessen-Petersen has been a leading member of the Ramush Haradinaj Fan Club for a while, so it is little wonder that he keeps coming up with ecstatic praise for the man whom British soldiers once termed a "psychopath" who terrorized his own men and the local population. While this position may make Jessen-Petersen popular with Albanians, it doesn't exactly speak favorably of him as a human being. A Clear Message While some were bemoaning the "injustice" of Ramush's indictment, others readily pointed out the opportunity it created for the Albanians. Jessen-Petersen alluded to it when talking about "political maturity." Haradinaj himself made a statement to that extent. According to the AP, "UN officials are believed to favor ultimate independence for the province. . Haradinaj suggested the decision to indict him was motivated by UN concerns that Serbs needed to be mollified before such a decision was reached." Who exactly believes this is unclear - perhaps the Albanians? - but despite the official UN pronouncements, the choice of viceroys and their policies and statements certainly give credence to this speculation. This could easily be Haradinaj's fabrication, intended to cast his indictment in the best possible light. Yet it could equally be the truth, which the UN and the U.S. would never admit openly, but the AP and Haradinaj can. Certainly, the remarks of U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher favor Haradinaj's interpretation. Having praised Ramush's actions for "[demonstrating] his deep concern for the future of Kosovo and its people," Boucher added: "2005 is an important year for the aspirations of the people of Kosovo. . In order to receive a positive assessment from the comprehensive review later this year and to begin a process to determine its future status, Kosovo must preserve peace and continue to work to implement the standards." (AFP/Turkish Press) When stripped of the faux-diplomatic lingo, the message is fairly straightforward: play along, and you will get what you want. Finally, on the pages of the International Herald Tribune on Wednesday, someone named Borut Grgic editorialized in support of the ICTY, saying that if "Albanians ensure a peaceful transition [after Haradinaj], there will be renewed pressure on the international community to move toward a discussion on final status." The words add up, as much as they can. http://www.antiwar.com/malic/ Serbian News Network - SNN [email protected] http://www.antic.org/
