LONDON - Britain welcomed the resignation of Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj Tuesday following his indictment by the UN war crimes tribunal, and urged all parties in the breakaway Serbian province not to react with violence.
"Mr. Haradinaj has resigned and given his undertaking to go voluntarily to The Hague. We welcome that, and look to him to carry out his commitment," Denis MacShane, Britain's junior Foreign Office minister responsible for Europe, said in a statement.
London "fully supported" the work of The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he said.
Haradinaj, a former ethnic Albanian rebel commander during the 1998-1999 war against Serbian forces, announced earlier Tuesday he was stepping down and turning himself in to the UN court.
The hardline nationalist politician is also wanted by the Belgrade government on 108 counts of alleged war crimes against Serb civilians during the war in the southern Serbian province, which is now under UN and NATO administration.
Britain called on "all people in Kosovo not to exploit the fact of the indictment for their own ends," MacShane said.
"Violence is unacceptable and will retard Kosovo's prospects."
"It is vital for the future of the region that the rule of law is followed and ICTY issues brought to closure," he said.
MacShane said London would monitor events on the ground and keep in contact with fellow European Union countries and regional allies.
Kosovo remains remains a hotbed of ethnic hatred, with its ethnic Albanian majority calling for full independence and Serbian minority living under NATO protection.
03/08/2005 16:32 GMT