The US embassy in Kosovo issued a strongly-worded warning to the country's leaders Friday over attempts to abolish a new war crimes court trying ethnic Albanian ex-guerrillas.
The statement from Kosovo's traditionally close ally warned that any renewed efforts to scrap the tribunal "would have profound negative consequences for Kosovo's European future and its relationship with the United States".
The court, based in The Hague, was set up to prosecute crimes allegedly committed by top members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) as it battled Serbian forces in the 1998-1999 war.
It is poised to begin issuing indictments.
Dozens of Kosovo's lawmakers made a failed bid last week to revoke the law allowing the tribunal's work to go ahead, after war veterans handed in a petition saying the court was "biased".
"Kosovo's leaders have made repeated public statements this week that an initiative in the Kosovo Assembly regarding the Special Court won't damage Kosovo's international relationships. They are mistaken," said the US embassy statement.
"We are extremely disappointed at those who would sacrifice their country's future and the unwavering support of the United States, in favor of their personal interests."
Speculation is rife that President Hashim Thaci, the former head of the KLA's political wing, could be among those prosecuted for the alleged kidnapping and disappearance of around 500 civilians, mostly ethnic Serbs.
Despite operating under Kosovo's law, the EU-backed tribunal is composed of international judges and prosecutors and will be seated in The Netherlands with the aim of protecting witnesses.
The conflict between the KLA and Serbian forces controlled by late strongman Slobodan Milosevic ended after a three-month NATO air campaign that forced Serbs out of Kosovo and put it under UN protection.
The war killed around 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has rejected the move and still considers the breakaway territory as its southern province.