Kosovo: Kosovo's parliament approved former guerrilla commander Agim Ceku as the region's new prime minister yesterday, despite complaints from Belgrade that his election could hamper sensitive talks on the province's bid for independence from Serbia.
Gen Ceku is wanted by Belgrade for war crimes allegedly committed while he was fighting with Croatia during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, and during an uprising by Kosovo Albanian separatists against Serb forces between 1998 and 1999.
Gen Ceku (45) replaces Bajram Kosumi, after he failed to convince fellow Kosovars he could lead them to independence, and western mediators questioned his ability to make Kosovo a fully functioning, multi-ethnic society.
UN officials resisted Serb pressure to bar Gen Ceku from office. H e is a widely respected and well-trusted figure among Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.
Gen Ceku said independence was the only solution for Kosovo's problems, but insisted he would protect the rights of the 100,000 or so remaining Serbs.
"I am aware that the road toward independence is achieved by respecting minorities," he said. "The integration of the minorities, their safety and freedom of movement is in the majority's interest."
