ALBANIA PROTECTS THAÇI AND OTHERS DUE TO TIRANA'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING TERRORISTS

BELGRADE, FEBRUARY 18 /SRNA/ - Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Albanian Parliament have openly stood in protection of four leaders of the terrorist KLA accused of war crimes, due to Tirana's role in creating and assisting terrorist formations in Kosovo and Metohija and concealing crimes committed in northern Albania, assessed retired judge Danica Marinković.

Marinković, who for years conducted proceedings at the District Court in Priština against commanders and members of the terrorist KLA, pointed out that terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija were armed from Albania, from where weapons were delivered, and that they were also trained there for terrorist actions. "They were armed through forest routes, and weapons were transported on horseback, on foot and in other ways. They may have also had soldiers and volunteers from Albania, although I have no proof of that. But there is abundant evidence that Albania provided them with logistical and every other kind of assistance in everything they did, including crimes," Marinković told SRNA. She added that it is therefore not surprising that Rama and the institutions of Albania are making such efforts to ensure that KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are not convicted in The Hague for war crimes committed in Kosovo and Metohija and in Albania. "They assisted them practically in carrying out terrorist actions, and now they are fighting with all their strength for them to be acquitted so that they themselves do not end up in the dock, which should happen if justice is to be served," Marinković assessed. She believes it is clear that Rama defends them not because he cares deeply for them, but because responsible figures from Albania could also come under scrutiny if that issue is raised. Commenting on Rama's message that, if the four leaders are convicted in The Hague, former US President Bill Clinton, former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana and other leaders of countries that gave the "green light" for the bombing of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999 should also be arrested, Marinković said that this is the only point on which she agrees with the Albanian Prime Minister. "Of course all those who pressed the button for NATO's aggression against the FR Yugoslavia should be convicted. But they will never be convicted. If only they were, because all NATO officials and leaders of the countries that participated in the aggression should be held accountable," Marinković said. She pointed out that Tirana has a special motive for defending the KLA leaders because of the so-called "Yellow House" in northern Albania and allegations of organ trafficking. "Albania is afraid because it covered up those crimes. Why did they not report it and submit evidence to the international community when the investigation was conducted? It is impossible that they did not know and had nothing to do with it. All of this is still being concealed in order to save themselves, as well as the terrorists from Kosovo and Metohija," Marinković stressed. She noted that the indictment deals more with crimes committed against Albanians than against Serbs, who suffered the most, many of whom are still being sought by their families as missing persons. "So many crimes were committed against Serbs - what about that? I led investigations and I know what the terrorists did to our people in Kosovo and Metohija. I know their leaders like a bad penny, because I dealt with them as a judge in 1994 and 1995," said Marinković, who conducted investigations into the alleged massacre of civilians in Račak, the KLA crime in Klečka, and other crimes attributed to Albanian terrorists.