Guarantees For Thaci's Release Pending Trial Provided By Third Countries

Hashim Thaci BETAFOTO

The guarantees to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague for crimes of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) for the release of Hashim Thaci, pending the trial for crimes against the Albanians, Roma and Serbs in Kosovo and Albania in 1998 and 1999, have been provided by "third countries."

This is declared in the document in which the prosecution objected to Thaci's release pending trial, which was published on the court's web-site on July 14. According to the document, "third countries" have expressed readiness to receive Thaci in the event of his release from custody without being allowed to enter Kosovo.

The guarantees of "third countries" are part of the confidential request for Thaci's release that his defense submitted on June 30. The decision about the request will be made by the pre-trial judge, Nicolas Guillou, who has already denied the release pending trial of the co-defendants, KLA officers Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

In the reply to Thaci's request, the prosecution pointed out that the proposed "guarantees of third countries do not mitigate in the satisfactory manner the risks which Thaci's release would entail."