What you should know: Why KLA leaders appeared before tribunal today in The Hague, plus Edi Rama's visit to Thaci

The cause of the new charges in the indictment, former KLA leaders Hashim Thaci (formerly president), Kadri Veselin (former-pripaparliamentary), Jakup Krasniqi (former-prinparliamentary) and Rexhep Selimi (former-deputs), have appeared before The Hague tribunal today. Through video connection, they were asked by the judge whether they were notified and read the amended indictment, in which the prosecution claims Thaci, Veselin, Krasniqi and Selimi have committed war crimes in Gjilan and Suhareka. All four declared T IMPORTANT, whose statements we reviewed below. Meanwhile, Thaci, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, visited The Hague today...

Here are four statements:

1. Hashim Thaci: I declare myself innocent  I didn't understand the indictment because it's too edited.

“I didn't understand because I haven't had a chance to read them because they're very edited. Mr. Judge, I highlighted it once again, your additional amendments are edited, I tried to read them, so I didn't catch them, but I plead innocent, said Thaci when he was officially asked by the judge about his guilty or innocent statement.

2. Kadri Wessel: I declare myself innocent. I want the trial to begin as soon as possible

Former Kosovo Assembly Chairman Kadri Wessel has been declared innocent in his first appearance over the new charges of the Specialised Prosecutor's Office.

Kadri Wessel has once again appeared before pre-procedure judges in Kosovo's Specialised Chambers in The Hague after the Specialised Prosecutor's Office on April 29th has handed in amended indictment against Thaci and others.

I'm being cleared. I have read it, and I wish that the court process will begin as soon as possible and have my right to express my position and innocence before the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, the Kosovo Liberation Army fighters and this honorable trial. Mr. Judge, I thank you for all these rights and I wanted to have these rights that you mentioned to me right in this court and apply to”, Vessel said.

3. Jakup Krasniqi:  Former Kosovo Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi has delivered a speech to the judge of the preliminary procedure in Kosovo's Specialised Chambers in The Hague.

I am ashamed of why I am living at this time of this kind of homosapiens that so easily destroys people's lives and families who dared to fight for their lives in freedom, for democracy and independence, a regime among the most criminals after World War II, even at the time I don't believe there has been such a criminal and genocide regime in the world as it was Milosevic's regime, who is not missing the hair of the body”, Krasniqi said.

He has said he is completely innocent and has called for speeding up the judicial process.

I've read the indictment and this last addition, and I can say with full conviction that I have a hard time understanding the first charge and the following since I'm convinced that such acts have never been committed in my life, so I'm completely innocent and of course we ask that the trial be rushed and not keep us so long unjustly in detention”, he added.

4. Rexhep Selimi: I have nothing to do with alleged crimes in the indictment

Even the former founder and warrior of The KLA, Rexhep Selimi, has been declared innocent of the accusations even these young women who are citing it.

“Of course, I have read and confirmed once again that I have nothing to do with the charges and crimes listed in this act”, Selimi said.

EDIA VISITO THAH IN HAGUE: It was a necessary commodity 

Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, after visiting The Hague to former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, has said Kosovo's liberation war cannot be rewritten.

He said that meeting with Thaci, who is being charged by the Prosecutor's Office with war crimes claims, was a necessary commodity and that he was in high shape.

“It was a necessary waste. President Thaci found him in the ball form, convinced perhaps even more than when I met him before he came here that this was an inevitable way to prove fourfold to justice the complete purity of the liberation war and, of course, purity of the ideals of UCK fighters and KLA leaders. There is little to say, of course, that we are all convinced that Kosovo's liberation war cannot be rewritten and could by no means be entered at other frames. Since it has already been introduced into the golden framework of heroism, sacrifice, given blood and, of course, all efforts that have followed for free, democratic and sovereign Kosovo”, he said. /Periscope