(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Thaci, who is also Kosovo's foreign minister, held a meeting of MPs from his Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, on Tuesday but did not manage to persuade those who oppose the controversial EU-backed special court to vote for it when it is next discussed in parliament.
Thaci stressed "the need to complete the procedure for the special court as soon as possible" and suggested that parliament should not take its annual August break before this is done.
"I think that Kosovo's parliament should not go on holiday before completing this important procedure," he said.
But Tuesday's meeting was not attended by several PDK MPs who voted against the court in parliament last month, when lawmakers failed to approve constitutional changes that would allow it to be set up.
The proposed new court is unpopular in Kosovo because it is seen as undermining the KLA's armed struggle against Serbian forces during the 1998-99 war.
Among the seven PDK MPs who voted against was Nait Hasani, who said that he would do the same again.
"I will not vote the special court which will only try the KLA. There should be a court that will try all crimes committed in Kosovo," Hasani told BIRN.
MP Fadil Demaku also did not attend the party meeting and restated his opposition to the court: "I will vote against. This is my stance," Demaku said.
It remains unclear whether the constitutional changes will be put to another vote at Thursday's parliament session.
There has been strong pressure from the EU and the US to set up the court, which is expected to try former KLA members for killings, abductions, illegal detentions and the persecution of Serbs, Roma and Kosovo Albanians believed to be collaborators with the Serbian regime.
On Tuesday, Britain's state minister for foreign affairs, Baroness Anelay, added to the mounting international pressure during a visit to Pristina.
"When Kosovo keeps its word and sets up the court it shows the whole world that Kosovo is ready to move on and be accepted as a part of the world internationally," Anelay told a joint press conference with Kosovo's President Atifete Jahjaga.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.