Albanian PM seeks probe on organ traffic claims

The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 22, 2010; 9:55 AM

TIRANA, Albania -- Albania has invited an international investigation into claims it was linked with the trafficking of organs from slain civilians during the war in neighboring Kosovo.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Wednesday his government has offered full cooperation with the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, should it wish to conduct a probe.

A Council of Europe report last week said Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci was behind the grisly trade while leader of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army in the 1998-99 independence war with Serbia.

The kidneys were allegedly removed from Kosovan opponents of the KLA and Serbs in detention facilities in Albania. Thaci and Albanian officials have denied the allegations, and Berisha claimed the report showed a pro-Serb bias

National Albanian American Council: The Albanian American Community Strongly Denounces Dick Marty's Accusations

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Albanian American community strongly denounces the unsubstantiated allegations made by Mr. Dick Marty, a rapporteur for a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, of illicit trafficking in human organs and organized crime by former leaders of the KLA. The report is an uncorroborated attack attempting to smear not only PM Thaqi, but also the heroic resistance against the Serbian ethnic cleansing campaign made by the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA).

Mr. Marty's report alleges fresh evidence but presents no new information, contends to have spoken with multiple witnesses, but refuses to publish names.

The international community has been extremely critical of Mr. Marty's report:

Mr. Bernard Kouchner, former Foreign Minister of France and UNMIK Chief at the time of the allegations, responded, "My first reaction, and I read the report very carefully, is that I'm very skeptical about those accusations of the organ trade. My second reaction is to have somebody investigate this, conduct a real investigation."

Mr. Philip Crowley, State Department spokesman, stated, "there are tribunals, such as the ICTY, that have been active for many years. To the extent you've got allegations of war crimes, there have been successful prosecutions. Both the UN and the ICTY have investigated allegations of an organ trafficking ring as far back as 2004. They decided to take no action at that time. But we certainly continue to encourage any cooperation – or cooperation in any further investigation of these matters."

Dr. Sali Berisha, Albania's Prime Minister, stated, "This is a report absolutely not based on any facts, evidence or reality, which shows the clear taking of sides of the author, including a flagrant abuse of the authority of the Council of Europe."

The Albanian American community fully stands behind the government of Kosova's demand that Dick Marty step back and allow competent, impartial authorities to look into these unsubstantiated allegations and commit to cooperate fully with any fair and unbiased inquiry. Additionally, we implore the international community to continue to support Kosova's inevitable membership into Euro-Atlantic institutions.