Kosovan Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi stunningly resigned Wednesday, in the midst of crucial talks with Serbia on the future status of the province, Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa) reported. "Taking into account that the government is at risk of losing the majority in parliament and ... in the overall interest of cooperation with our international friends, I took this decision to resign from the post of the prime minister," Kosumi said. He described the step as a "moral act," but did not immediately offer a deeper explanation of the pressure to his cabinet. Minutes earlier, the leading Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) party also sacked Parliamentary Speaker Nexhat Daci, saying it was unhappy with how he handled the assembly during preparations for the crucial talks with Serbia. The dramatic changes were announced during the visit of the United Nations envoy mediating the Kosovo status talks, Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, who said they would not affect the talks. "I don't see this development as a government crisis," Ahtisaari said. "We will continue the negotiations ... this development will not influence the process." Kosumi and Daci both came under pressure in their own parties, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and LDK. The province has been embroiled in a power struggle since the death of the overall leader and president Ibrahim Rugova in January. Kosumi was elected prime minister a year ago, after AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj was indicted for war crimes by The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and forced to resign. --SP 21 05 Local Time 18 05 GMT
