Watchdog to probe Kosovo organ allegations

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - Europe's main human rights watchdog will investigate allegations that politicians in Kosovo were involved in traffic in human organs during the war with Serbia.

The Council of Europe said it had appointed Swiss senator Dick Marty to travel to Kosovo to prepare a report.

The allegations were contained in the book "The Hunt: Me and the War Criminals," by the former chief prosecutor of the Hague war crimes tribunal, Carla del Ponte, who said that some 300 Serb prisoners captured by Kosovan Albanian forces may have been victim of forced organ extraction.

A group of 17 parliamentarians signed a motion requesting the investigation.