Marty says his report "hit raw nerve"

24 January 2011 | 15:50 | Source: Tanjug

BERN -- Dick Marty says that his report on Kosovo human organ trafficking caused such a stir "because it is credible, and hit a raw nerve". Dick Marty (Tanjug, file) The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe begins its plenary session today, with a debate on a draft resolution based on the CoE rapporteur's document scheduled for Tuesday. Marty spoke for Swiss newspapers SonntagsZeitung and Le Matin Dimanche on Sunday to say that he would not provide evidence for the accusations found in the report, as he was not an investigative judge, but merely an investigator. The document, he added, contained very precise details. The Swiss senator told reporters that he was surprised at the stir caused by the report, considering that almost all of its elements were already known, and assessed that "the real scandal" was that criminal activities of "certain circles that were brought to power in Priština" were previously ignored. In his interview, Marty mentioned reports filed by the New York Times and Guardian newspapers on this subject, and referred to FBI reports from 1999. Six years later, Germany's Der Spiegel magazine also reported about human organ trafficking in Kosovo, said he. According to the Swiss dailies, the "fierce reaction has taken its toll on Marty". "It is no pleasure to be accused of being a liar and a Nazi," he said, referring to statements made by Kosovo Albanian Prime Minister and former KLA leader Hashim Thaci. Marty also said that he was especially hurt by criticism coming from some of his Swiss colleagues who suggested he "better deal with Switzerland's interests". Hashim Thaci was named in the report as the leader of KLA's Drenica Group, accused of organizing organ trafficking as well as other serious crimes. However, in a recent interview for the Kosovo Albanian media, Marty stated that he did not accuse Thaci "directly".