VIENNA - Prosecutors at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague will oppose the provisional release of Kosovo's former prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said on Thursday.
She declined to comment in more detail on what arguments the prosecution would make, but noted that witnesses had been intimidated in Kosovo in the past.
Haradinaj is the most senior former Kosovo guerrilla to be indicted by the tribunal for alleged atrocities in the 1998-99 separatist war against Serb forces. He is considered a hero by many Kosovo Albanians.
A former regional commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Haradinaj surrendered to the tribunal in March, winning praise for his prompt compliance with the court.
But Del Ponte told reporters at the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe that prosecutors would oppose his provisional release because it could hinder their investigation.
"It is true that the accused -- Haradinaj, former prime minister -- has presented a request for provisional release. We oppose this request," she told a news conference, adding that there would be a hearing on the request next week.
Haradinaj faces charges of murder, rape and the deportation of Serb civilians during his time as a leader of ethnic Albanian rebels. He denies the charges.
Kosovo's government has called for Haradinaj's provisional release pending trial and offered legal assistance for his defence.