Kosovo President Hashim Thaci left for the Hague on Thursday to face charges of war crimes before the Specialist Chambers.

Thaci was escorted to the airport by EULEX police.  

Speaking earlier in the day, Thaci told reporters that he had been informed that the indictment against him for war crimes and crimes against humanity had been confirmed by a judge in the Specialist Chambers. “I will cooperate with the judiciary and I am available to it from this moment,” he is reported to have said, adding that “the indictment is a small price to pay for the freedom of our country”.  

The Specialist Chambers also confirmed an indictment against Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK) leader Kadri Veseli.  

The office of the Specialist Prosecutor said that a 10 point indictment had been sent ot the Specialist Chambers against Thaci, Veseli and others for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and torture. “Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli and others are suspected of being responsible for approximately 100 murders. The crimes include hundreds of identified Kosovo Albanian, Serb and Roma victims as well as political opponents,” the indictment stated.