Ein Plädoyer gegen Völkerrechtsnihilismus

"Hannes Swoboda, President of the group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, should withdraw his proposal that Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci be given the Nobel Peace Prize, Czech MEP Richard Falbr told CTK.

Falbr said when he had learnt about the proposal, he at first could not believe it.

Swoboda's proposal is casting a shadow on the whole group before the European elections scheduled for late May, Falbr said.

'When I learnt it, I was shocked and I immediately sent emails to all deputies of our group in which I resolutely protested against this,' Falbr said.

'Thaci is a war criminal who has come under the suspicion of trading in human organs of Serbian POWs and that he is a drug boss,' he added.

Falbr said Swoboda had defended his step by the argument that he acted as an individual.

'I cannot understand how he can dare to submit such a proposal casting a shadow on the whole group,' Falbr, a veteran Czech Social Democrat, said.

'If someone from the extreme right had proposed this, I would say: 'O.K.' But this is absolutely inadmissible,' Falbr said.

In a letter to the Nobel Committee, Swoboda wrote that the next Nobel Peace Prize should go to High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union Catherine Ashton, Serb Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Thaci.

This should reward them for their effort to make the relations between Serbia and Kosovo normal, Swoboda wrote.

Thaci was political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) and has been the Kosovo prime minister since its independence declared in 2008.

Falbr said he had discussed Kosovo and Serbia with late Czechoslovak foreign minister Jiri Dienstbier.

'He told me how Thaci recruited people for the UCK. He came to a village before a house and told the parents: 'Either you give me your son or 10,000 German marks.' And if they did not, he set their house on fire,' Falbr said.

'When he was dissatisfied with people from the UCK, he shot them dead himself. He is a criminal,' he added.

'I feel shame because we recognise Kosovo, although this is no state,' Falbr said.

The Czech Republic recognised independent Kosovo in May 2008."