by Ismet Hajdari
PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro - Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj resigned Tuesday after being indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal over his role as a guerrilla commander in the Serbian province`s 1998-99 conflict, sparking fears of renewed ethnic violence.
"I resigned today from the post of prime minister and I`ve transmitted my resignation to the Kosovo president," he said as his bodyguards, fellow war veterans, broke down in tears beside him.
The 35-year-old protested his innocence and called on his fellow ethnic Albanians to continue working toward independence from Serbia despite the indictment against him, which he described as a "big mistake".
"I am innocent," the nationalist hardliner said as he announced his resignation to reporters.
"I ask you (Kosovo Albanians) to accept a fact that is almost impossible to accept, but do it for your country and your nation. I want to tell you that I am innocent of all the crimes of which I am accused."
He said he would cooperate with international justice for the sake of Kosovo`s future, but warned that the international community had blundered by treating "freedom fighters and aggressors in the same way".
"Everything ... is the result of the inventions of Belgrade and the horse-trading that some quarters have engaged in with Belgrade to ensure the transfer of Serb criminals (to the tribunal in The Hague)," he said.
A minister in the Kosovo government told AFP that Haradinaj would go to the UN court in The Hague to stand trial, but he did not elaborate on the nature of the indictment, which has not been made public.
Haradinaj nominated political ally Bajram Kosumi to take over as prime minister. Deputy Prime Minister Adem Salihaj will become acting prime minister until parliament approves a replacement.
The former builder and martial-arts expert was a rebel commander in western Kosovo during the separatist war against Serbian forces, and was questioned last year by UN war crimes investigators.
The ethnic Albanian is also wanted by Belgrade on 108 counts of alleged war crimes -- including murders and kidnappings -- against Serb civilians during the war in the southern Serbian province, which is now under UN and NATO administration.
The Serbian government welcomed Haradinaj`s resignation and called for calm in the southern province, where the Serb minority lives in isolated enclaves protected by NATO peacekeepers.
"The most important thing is that everybody acts constructively and contributes to keeping stability in the province," Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said.
Haradinaj remains a hero to many Kosovo Albanians, who demand independence from Serbia and see him as a freedom fighter who helped liberate Kosovo from Serbian oppression.
Fearing violent retaliation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) boosted its 18,000-strong troop presence in Kosovo by about 1,000 British and German soldiers in the leadup to Tuesday`s announcement.
"Kosovo is entering a crucial period during which it will be judged on its progress in meeting the standards set by the international community," NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in Brussels.
"Cooperation with the tribunal is one of those standards, and a responsible approach by Mr. Haradinaj and the people of Kosovo will be a positive signal in that regard."
European Union enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn also urged calm.
"I encourage the people of Kosovo to respect Mr Haradinaj`s calls for them to remain calm. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated, and it would work against the interests of the people of Kosovo," he said.
The United States warned its citizens in Kosovo to take extra security precautions and avoid possible demonstrations.
The UN`s Kosovo mission chief, Soren Jessen-Petersen, described Haradinaj as a "close partner and friend".
"It is important that the people of Kosovo respond with the same dignity and maturity as that shown by Ramush Haradinaj," he said.
Nineteen people died in three-days of anti-Serb riots a year ago, the worst violence in the province since the war.

03/08/2005 16:36 GMT