The indictment of a prime minister on war crimes charges hardly seems like good news, but for troubled Kosovo, that’s what it is, or at least should be. When Ramush Haradinaj, who had been prime minister of the provincial government for only about three months, resigned on Tuesday after being indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, it gave the majority Albanians of Kosovo a new chance to show they deserve independence.

Choosing Haradinaj in the first place had signalled that the Kosovo Albanians were not yet ready for running their own country, which would require them to guarantee the rights and security of the Serbian minority. Less than a year ago, Albanians went on a rampage that left 19 Serbs dead and 900 wounded. Haradinaj has been accused of committing atrocities when he was a commander there of the Kosovo Liberation Army. A review will later determine whether Kosovo has met the standards of governance and interethnic harmony that would justify granting it independence under a timetable set by the Security Council. It’s been clear lately that Kosovo’s leaders have failed the test. But the Kosovo Albanians could take a big step toward countering that impression by choosing a new prime minister who is not tainted who could serve as a uniting influence in the divided province. — The New York Times