British envoy condemns killing of former Kosovo prime minister's brother

The Kosova [Kosovo] president, political parties, entities that emerged from the former Kosova Liberation Army [UCK], the General Headquarters of the Kosova Protection Corps [TMK] and representatives of diplomatic offices accredited in Kosova have harshly condemned the killing of Enver Haradinaj, brother of former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj. [Passage omitted - covered]

The associations that emerged from the UCK war also harshly condemned the killing, requesting the competent bodies to undertake the necessary measures to discover the perpetrators of this crime.

"We, the associations that emerged from the UCK war, received the news with regret that the criminal hand of the enemy's associates killed our co-fighter Enver Haradinaj and wounded Artan Tolaj," reads the statement issued by these associations. [Passage omitted]

The Democratic Party of Kosova [PDK] said that such ugly acts of killing freedom fighters are not rare in postwar Kosova. This time also the invisible hand of the liberators' killers, according to the PDK, unmercifully hit one of the liberators of Kosova.

"It is high time the police, investigative and judicial bodies reached the right level and exercised their full powers to face the crime and shed light on all acts of violence in Kosova. Enver Haradinaj's killers should be found and brought to justice as soon as possible," PDK leader Hashim Thaci said. [Passage omitted - covered]

The coordination council of ORA [Hour Civic Initiative] also condemned Enver Haradinaj's assassination, saying that it feels very concerned over this criminal act. "The Haradinaj family, which has given so much for Kosova so far, remains today without Enver, too. The criminals who committed this macabre act should be found as soon as possible by the competent bodies in Kosova and should be brought to justice," ORA officials said.

The coordination council of this party expressed the most sincere condolences to the Haradinaj family.

Mark Dickinson, head of the Prishtina-based British office, also harshly condemned the killing. He said that he was "deeply shocked by the killing of Enver Haradinaj. This was a disgusting and cowardly act and I express my deepest condolences to his family."

Dickinson expressed hope that those responsible would be arrested and punished as soon as possible. "Whatever the motives of this terrible crime might be, the perpetrators knew that it would trigger tensions, as they knew what effects it would have on the Haradinaj family."

"I invite the citizens of Kosova to stay calm and not let any provocations sway them from the path of building a society that will have its place in Europe," Dickinson said. [Passage omitted]

Source: KosovaLive web site, Pristina, in Albanian 15 Apr 05