Valdrin Xhemaj / EPA

Kosovar Albanians celebrate in Pristina after the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia cleared the former Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj of war crime charges on Nov. 29, 2012.

Koen Van Weel / AP

Former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj in a courtroom in The Hague on Nov. 29, 2012.

Reuters reports — Ramush Haradinaj, a former guerrilla fighter in Kosovo who served briefly as prime minister, was acquitted of war crimes for a second time on Thursday, clearing the way for his return to mainstream politics but angering Serbia.

The retrial verdict by a United Nations court in The Hague comes on the heels of the acquittal on appeal two weeks ago of top Croatian general Ante Gotovina, fuelling nationalist accusations in Serbia that the court is biased against them.

The verdict, and Haradinaj's return to frontline campaigning, could undermine a new effort by the European Union to encourage Serbia and Kosovo to mend ties almost five years after the former southern Serbian province declared independence with the backing of the West. Read the full story.

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Armend Nimani / AFP - Getty Images

Supporters of Ramush Haradinaj celebrate in Pristina on Nov. 29, 2012 after he was acquitted of murder and torture.

Nikola Solic / AP

War veterans celebrate during the live broadcast from the International War Crimes Tribunal, on the main square in Zagreb, Croatia on Nov. 16, 2012. Appeals judges at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal have overturned the convictions of two Croat generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed against Serb civilians in a 1995 military blitz.

Bas Czerwinski / Pool via AP

Former Croatian Army Generals Mladen Markac, right, and Ante Gotovina, left, enter the courtroom of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal (ICTY) for their appeal judgement in The Hague, Netherlands, on Nov. 16, 2012.

Reuters reports — The most senior Croatian military officer convicted of war crimes during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s was released after an appeal on Friday and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said the "political decision" would open old wounds in the region.

General Ante Gotovina was cleared by an appeals chamber of the U.N. war crimes tribunal after being convicted of targeting hospitals and other civilian institutions during a Croatian army operation to retake its Krajina region from rebel ethnic Serbs.

Gotovina, hailed as a hero at home but reviled in neighboring Serbia, was freed along with Croatian police commander Mladen Markac. The two men are expected to fly home later on Friday.

Their acquittals were greeted with jubilation on the streets of the Croatian capital Zagreb but Serbia reacted with anger and dismay. Nikolic said the U.N. tribunal's decision had destroyed its neutrality. Read the full story.

Hrvoje Polan / AFP - Getty Images

A man cries after the UN Yugoslav war crimes court acquitted former generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac of charges including war crimes during the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia and ordered them free, in Zagreb on Nov. 16, 2012.

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