PRISTINA/PODGORICA, 13. July 2015 – The US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, reached Kosovo, part of a Balkan tour, and met top officials in Pristina to discuss the formation of a special court to try war crimes. The Specialized Chamber is expected to prosecute war crimes linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA. The establishment of the court has been held up, however, by resistance in parliament to ratification of amendments needed to allow for its formation. Many Kosovars passionately oppose the establishment of the court, seeing it as an attack on their war for independence. But Nuland urged Kosovo leaders to show “wisdom and determination” over the Specialized Chambers, as a crucial issue for the country’s EU integration. “It is very important that the Court be formed and I hope there will another round of voting [by MPs] on this before summer break,” Nuland said. She warned that if Kosovo does not create the Court on its own, the UN would do it anyway, and Kosovo’s relationship with the international community could then be in question. “We want this to happen, for Kosovo to walk forward in Europe and with us,” Nuland told Kosovo broadcaster RTK. In Podgorica, Montenegro, Nuland meanwhile called on Montenegrin authorities to “consolidate the rule of law” and change public perceptions of the effectiveness in fighting organised crime and corruption. “That is a prerequisite for becoming a full-fledged member of the family of democratic countries where the rule of law and respect for human rights are basic principles of public,” Nuland said after meeting Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic. She added that Washington upported legislative and institutional reforms in the judiciary and rule of law aimed at combating organised crime and corruption. During her visit to Montenegro, Nuland also met the foreign and defence ministers, Igor Luskic and Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic, and the opposition leaders Miodrag Lekic, Zarko Rakcevic and Aleksa Becic. Faced with criticisms from the US and Europe for not doing enough to punish high-level corruption, abuse of office and gang crime, Montenegro in June established a new special prosecutor’s department, modeled on Croatia’s widely praised USKOK office. Nuland’s visit regional tour also includes visits to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Serbia.
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