Why was the Kosovo Albanians’ selection blamed by the Serbian government? [br]

The Serbian government has strongly criticized the Kosovo Albanians’ selection of a former rebel commander, who battled Serbs during the Yugoslav wars, as prime minister. Belgrade is calling on the United Nations administrator in Kosovo to block the appointment. Belgrade expressed its utmost concern that Agim Ceku, a man it regards as a war criminal, should become Kosovo’s prime minister. Belgrade is demanding that the UN administrator of Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, block the appointment of Ceku, who was a rebel commander during the 1999 war between Serbia and ethnic Albanian guerillas. In an interview, the UN official said he had expected a strong protest from Belgrade. But the official made clear that he was unlikely to prevent Ceku from taking office because Ceku has a lot of credentials and has claimed to focus a lot on the minority issues. So, they may not like it today. But they will like what they see in a month or two. The change of prime ministers in Kosovo comes at a delicate time. Negotiations between Serbs and ethnic Albanians on Kosovo’ s status began last month and are to resume on March 17th.