Kosovo's Prime Minister has resigned to answer war crimes charges in the Hague. Rumours that Ramush Haradinaj would be indicted by the international court had been circulating before he became head of the government last December. "I'm innocent," he told a news conference.

"As a result of this indictment, I have handed in my resignation and will leave tomorrow for the Hague. My message is to continue on the road towards building an independent country." Haradinaj was a commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought for independence from Belgrade in the late 1990s.

Serb judges have accused him of multiple crimes against Serbian civilians during the war, charges always denied by Haradinaj. His nomination as prime minister last year at the age of 36 was condemned by Belgrade but raised no objections from the UN mission in Kosovo, which has administered the province since 1999.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, did however voice concern about Haradinaj's ability to govern after ethnic violence last March left 19 people dead and some 900 injured. There are now fears there could be a violent reaction to the indictment among Kosovo's ethnic Albanian community, which makes up 90 percent of the population. Haradinaj, however, has called on his supporters to accept what he calls the "reality" of the situation.

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Kosovo's Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj answers journalists' questions after a press conference in Pristina. (AFP)