Kosovo president steps down to face war crime charges in The Hague

Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, a guerrilla leader during Kosovo’s war for independence, has resigned in order to face charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity at a special court based in The Hague.

Thaci announced his resignation at a news conference on Thursday.

He said he was taking the step “to protect the integrity of the presidency of Kosovo”.

Thaci was indicted by a Kosovo court based in The Hague which was set up to try alleged crimes of former ethnic Albanian rebel leaders.

A spokesman for the prosecutor in The Hague said he had no comment on Thaci’s announcement.