Alijaj: Specialist Chambers Law must be discussed with international partners

Political analyst Artan Alijaj believes that the process concerning amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers should be taken back to the beginning and discussed with international partners in order to avoid further confusion and procedural steps that could complicate the situation, Dukagjini reports.

“I believe the confusion still exists. We have been dealing with it since day one, and it has only continued. It is worth noting that there has been considerable international pressure from the very beginning, and that pressure still exists. I believe that is why the law was withdrawn, or rather returned,” Alijaj said.

According to him, ambiguities surrounding the amendments to the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers have existed since the issue was first raised.

He added that ambiguous actions must now be avoided, noting that it would be impossible to continue the procedure with the current text.

“What I believe needs to happen now is for the games with this law to stop. From a procedural standpoint, I think it will be impossible to move forward with it. The process should go back to the beginning, while discussions should simultaneously be held with international partners,” Alijaj said, according to Dukagjini.

He called for caution regarding statements concerning international courts and the judicial system, pointing to previous reactions from international representatives.

He stressed that the public should be better informed about developments surrounding the issue.

“There is considerable ambiguity, and the public deserves greater clarity on this issue. The Government’s Working Group should also make a greater effort and provide the public with more information,” Alijaj said.

The amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers were adopted at the beginning of last month, but the European Union subsequently warned on several occasions that they were contrary to Kosovo’s international obligations toward the EU.

Kosovo President Justina Shiroka-Pula returned the amendments to the Assembly for reconsideration at the initiative of the PDK, which had originally proposed the changes following the first-instance convictions of four former KLA leaders in The Hague, who were sentenced to a combined total of 81 years in prison for war crimes.

MPs decided yesterday to place the legislative amendments on the agenda of the ongoing Assembly session. This was followed by another strong reaction from the European Union and subsequently from Germany and the United Kingdom, which expressed concern over the absence of consultations despite their earlier warnings.

The amendments to the law were placed on the Assembly’s agenda as the final item, which MPs have yet to reach.