On the first day of testimony before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, American Jock Covey, who served as the main deputy of the UN special representative, Bernard Kouchner, said that Hashim Thaci had complex relations with KLA commanders.
According to him, this conclusion came from a meeting, when Kouchner traveled to Kosovo in September 1999 to persuade the commanders of the areas to disarm.
“That I remember very clearly. It seemed to be strongly confirming what we believed from the beginning about Thaci when we knew him. So he had a difficult and complex relationship with the KLA commanders on the ground, and they showed little or no respect for him. Thaci had no significant relationships with the troupe of commanders in the field and it was very unlikely for them to seek his instructions, much less his orders, or to report their activities to him,”Said Thaci’s defense witness.
Speaking about the 1999 period, Covey said they had realized that there was no central command in the KLA.
“As we understood at the time, there was no central command. General Ceku was the most influential KLA individual. During the meeting we could see the very quiet look back to make sure that the commanders supported him, who supported the details of the deal being discussed. We were given the impression that Ceku needed to make sure he had consensus and support from commanders on the ground. We realized that the KLA was more of a movement than an army where each individual in areas or commander in the field had broad autonomy,”Declared the Defense Witness.
Covey’s testimony comes after former US Secretary of State James Rubin, former legal adviser to the Kosovo team in Rambouillet, testified from September 15, as well as former British diplomat John Duncan.
Journalist: Vjollca Zharri
