EP committee adopts draft on Kosovo

EP committee adopts draft on Kosovo

BRUSSELS -- The EP Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday asked authorities in Kosovo to show "strong commitment" to strengthen the rule of law.

Pristina is also asked to commit to fighting corruption and organized crime on all levels, and to set up a war crimes court headquartered outside of Kosovo.

The European parliament committee adopted a draft resolution with 45 votes in favor, seven against, and two abstained. The document requires Pristina to implement structural economic reforms that would create jobs.

"We must give priority to the establishment and cooperation with a special court for war crimes in Kosovo, which will help it deal with its past," said a draft resolution quoted by the Beta agency. The EP plenary session should adopt the document in March.

The draft also stated that "preparations for a complete transfer of competences of EULEX to Kosovo authorities" should continue.

The committee "urges the remaining five EU member states to recognize Kosovo, because that would further facilitate the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina."

The document states that there has been progress regarding freedom of movement, while "Serbia and Kosovo" are invited to continue with the full implementation of the already achieved agreements, including the allocation of a special international telephone code to Kosovo.

The only strongly worded remarks during the debate came from independent French MEP Emerique Chopard, who said he would vote against because the document never mentioned that Albanians committed crimes against Serbs and that ethnic cleansing of Serbs had been carried out in that province, considering that more than 200,000 Serb ...