Kosovo PM arrest warrant withdrawn for "political reasons"

Kosovo PM arrest warrant withdrawn for "political reasons" - Serbian official
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - March 24, 2006, Friday,

Excerpt from report by Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA

Belgrade, 24 March: A member of the Serbian negotiation team on the status of Kosovo, Marko Jaksic, has assessed that Interpol's arrest warrant for the Kosmet [Kosovo-Metohija] prime minister and former OVK [Kosovo Liberation Army - KLA; UCK in Albanian] commander, Agim Ceku, was withdrawn for political reasons and that this move represents the triumph of force over the law.

In a statement to SRNA, he said that the withdrawal of the arrest warrant was a move "outside all legal norms and established international relations".

"The arrest warrant for Ceku, a man who fought in two wars, was withdrawn for political reasons," Jaksic told SRNA.

He said that the withdrawal of the arrest warrant would not change the attitude of Serbs towards Ceku, who they "hold responsible for the crimes in Gospic [1991], [Operation] Medacki dzep [Medak Pocket 1993], during Operation Storm [1995] and later in Kosmet".

"For Serbs, Ceku remains a war criminal, a man with blood on his hands," Jaksic said.

Source: SRNA news agency, Bijeljina, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 1240 gmt 24 Mar 06