Kosovo's former president pleads not guilty to war crimes charges

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci on Monday pleaded not guilty to all charges as his war crimes trial opened at a special court in The Hague.

He faces 10 charges stemming from the 1998-99 insurgency that eventually led to the region's independence from Serbia.

"I understand the indictment and I am fully not guilty," he told judges shortly after hearings began.

(Reporting by Ivana Sekularac in The Hague; Writing by Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Editing by Hugh Lawson)