Haradinaj To Remain In French Custody Pending Serbian Extradition Bid

BELGRADE - A French court has ordered former Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj to remain in custody pending an extradition request from Serbia on war crimes in a case that has strained the already fragile ties between Belgrade and Pristina.

A court in Colmar in eastern France on January 5 ordered Haradinaj, a former KLA commander during Kosovo's 1998-99 war, to remain in custody rather than be released under judicial supervision following his arrest by French police a day earlier.

Haradinaj's Alliance for Kosovo's Future (AAK) party told RFE/RL's Balkan Service on January 5 that the decision to keep him in custody is "unacceptable," echoing denunciations from top officials in Pristina.

Serbia accuses Haradinaj of committing war crimes in Kosovo.

His arrest upon arrival at an airport in eastern France on a flight from Pristina has triggered outrage in...