War crime trial starts for former Kosovo leader

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Ramush Haradinaj, who was once a nightclub bouncer and martial arts expert and rose to become a guerrilla chieftain and Kosovo's prime minister, faces trial in which he is accused of mounting an ethnic cleansing campaign against Serbs.

His future will be decided by a panel of U.N. judges in the war crimes trial opening Monday in which he and two others are accused. They are pleading innocent, and many Kosovars believe it is their struggle against Serbian rule that is on trial.

Haradinaj flew to the Netherlands a week ago and was put in a cell in the Hague court's detention unit, where co-defendants Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj have been held since 2005. Hundreds of supporters saw him off, and Prime Minister Agim Ceku backed him in a radio address.

"He is going to the Hague not only to defend himself, but to defend our war for freedom," Ceku said. "We're convinced that truth and justice are on Ramush's side."

The trial deprives Kosovars of a charismatic leader at a time of rising violence as they edge toward the independence they fought for in 1998-1999, aided by Western bombing of Serbian targets. Once seen as a stabilizing force in Kosovo, Haradinaj now faces a maximum life sentence if convicted by the U.N. Yugoslav tribunal.

His absence "is going to leave something of a hole here," says Alex Anderson of the International Crisis Group, a nongovernmental organization active in easing tensions in Kosovo.

Haradinaj served for 100 days as prime minister of U.N. administered Kosovo in 2005. Before that he was a senior commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army, at which time he allegedly was involved in a plot to expel Serbs and their suspected collaborators from a western Kosovo region by murder, maltreatment and rape.

At a pretrial hearing Thursday he said he was "offended by these accusations" and declared his innocence.

Among Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, "There is a huge defensiveness about 'our people' being tried. Every trial is looked at with a view of that trial being a struggle over the interpretation of the KLA war record," Anderson said.

in an interview from his office in Pristina, the Kosovo capital.

Three other Kosovo Albanians have been prosecuted by the U.N. court -- two were acquitted and one convicted.

By coincidence, the latest trial is opening as a separate case continues in the same building of six senior Serbs charged with atrocities in Kosovo.

A U.N. proposal would give Kosovo internationally supervised self-rule and the trappings of statehood -- including a flag, anthem, army and constitution. But it leaves both sides unhappy.

Many ethnic Albanians complain it falls short of full independence, while to most Serbs, losing Kosovo is unthinkable. They regard it as the heartland of their nationhood.

On Friday, Serb and ethnic Albanian negotiators emerged from talks "diametrically opposed," said U.N. mediator Martti Ahtisaari.

Last month, three U.N. vehicles were bombed in Pristina, and two people died in clashes between police and ethnic Albanians protesting the U.N. plan.

Afterward Haradinaj appeared on television to support the plan and appeal for calm. In the past, he was credited with stopping an angry mob from torching a historic Serb monastery.

Despite his popularity, Haradinaj's influence has been waning since his indictment and resentment of his lavish lifestyle has grown -- he lives in one of the biggest mansions in Pristina and enjoys Cuban cigars and expensive watches.

"Under the surface, there is a growing sense of cynicism about his wealth and the source of his wealth and that is counterbalancing his brief time as an effective prime minister," Anderson said.

Tribunal prosecutors have protested that his close links to U.N. administrators in Kosovo could deter witnesses from testifying against him.

Haradinaj returned to Kosovo to fight after spending time in western Europe, working in construction and as a nightclub bouncer.

After fighting ended, Haradinaj transformed himself from a tough KLA commander -- prosecutors say ruthless -- into a political leader and prime minister with a reputation for getting things done and keeping a lid on ethnic tensions.

When he was indicted he immediately resigned as prime minister and traveled to The Hague, where he declared his innocence. The U.N. court allowed him to return to Kosovo to await his trial and resume limited political activities.

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AP Correspondent Garentina Kraja contributed to this report from Pristina.