Former British diplomat John Stewart Duncan, who from 1998 until the end of 2001 was adviser to the then NATO commander, General Wesley Clark, testified on Monday in front of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, where former President Hashim Thaci, former parliamentarians Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veseli, They are tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the last war in Kosovo.
Called as a witness from Thaci’s defense team, Duncan said that the Kosovo Liberation Army had no hierarchical structure and that the real powers had the commanders of the area.
“Were otherwise organized. We couldn’t just go to talk to Mr. Thaci or General Ceku and think we solved the problem. It didn’t work like that. We had to talk to the persons who really had competencies and they were the commanders of the areas who had the real power in the KLA structure. This was confirmed when we met General Agim Ceku at the beginning of negotiating the agreement. He told us that I could not do this without the presence of area commanders. He said two things, the first, that Mr. Thaci was not available and to do so, Thaci should be consulted. He then added that I do not do so unless the area commanders participate in the negotiations,“Duncan declared.
The former British diplomat also said what he had seen, Thaci did not play the role that he was believed to have had during the recent war in Kosovo.
“It was not realistic that Mr. Thaci to be recognized as Kosovo’s political leader. There were other political forces that existed there, such as the LDK, Rugova and others, who could have chosen it as the leaders of the delegation in Rambouillet, but it did not have what was called political legitimacy in a democratic society. It was not chosen by the people. (To recognize Thaci as prime minister) was not realistic, it did not represent reality and was not politically sustainable,“He said.
The trial against Thaci, Jakupi, Veseli and Selim began in April 2023, while in custody since November 2020.
Journalist: Elda Pepa
