EU urges Dick Marty to come forward with evidence

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton's Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic has urged Marty to come forward with the evidence on Thaci's involvement in those serious crimes.

"These claims are taken very seriously. If concrete evidence exists, we urge Dick Marty to submit them to relevant authorities," she said at a press conference.

However, she avoided answering a number of direct questions on EU's next steps regarding the issue.

Kocijancic also did not answer whether the impression that Thaci is "untouchable" is right and whether she believes that he should withdraw from the race for the prime minister's office before he restores his reputation.

When asked directly whether Thaci can be appointed prime minister at the moment, Kocijancic responded that the EU could not comment such issues, and that the election process was expected to be carried out in keeping with the law and international standards.

She underlined that the election process and the accusations were two separate things that could not be linked.

Kocijancic kept repeating that the fight against organized crime and war crimes investigations were "priorities of the Western Balkan countries" and that the EU was "very strict with regard to the issue and had a clear stand."

The EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) announced Wednesday that it would study Dick Marty's report   on inhuman treatment of prisoners and organ trafficking, which he had compiled for the CoE Parliamentary Assembly.

Deputy Head of EULEX Andy Sparkes stated that they would "study the report carefully", but would like to get more tangible evidence from Marty, so they could act on it.