The former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, spoke from The Hague prison in an interview for the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
As he awaits this year’s decision by the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo on the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Thaçi expresses full confidence in his innocence and confirms that he does not consider his political career closed.
In the interview given under the strict conditions of the tribunal – without the possibility of supplementary questions and with the obligation that the text be published unchanged – Thaçi first thanks for the message of consolation after the death of his father.
“It has been a great loss for my family and for me personally. Not being able to attend my father’s funeral and pay my last respects has deeply scarred me – a pain I will carry with me for the rest of my life“, he says.
Asked if Hashim Thaçi’s political life is over forever, the former president categorically answers: “I see the political race behind me, but not my political life. As a free citizen of Kosovo, I will also serve the public and the state in the future. I bow before the people of Kosovo, who for two decades have given me trust, respect and support for my political vision“.
Thaçi’s defense team argues that there was no clear chain of command within the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), therefore he and his co-accused cannot be held responsible for the actions carried out on the ground.
Thaçi fully supports this line of defense and recalls that the Specialized Chambers are the fourth international mechanism investigating the events of 1998-1999, after the ICTY, UNMIK and EULEX.
He points out that the original charge based on Dick Marty’s report of organ trafficking has been completely dropped from the indictment.
Regarding the issue of victims, Thaçi says that Kosovo has created mechanisms to support them and that support for the accused in The Hague (including family visits) is a normal practice in democratic states.
“Only a few countries in the world have taken on such a responsibility,” he adds.
The former president warns that the process in The Hague can distort the historical picture of the war in Kosovo.
He emphasizes that the possible crimes of KLA individuals “in the overall picture cannot be compared” to those committed by Serbian forces and paramilitaries in 1998/99.
“This process should not be used as a tool to rewrite history and to minimize the real suffering of a people”, warns Thaçi.
Regarding NATO’s intervention in 1999, he describes it as justified and based on Western values of freedom and human rights.
“Without the resistance of the population of Kosovo and without the intervention of NATO, Kosovo would not exist today“, he says.
As for the dialogue with Serbia, Thaçi reiterates his position for a lasting peace that only comes through legally binding mutual recognition.
He does not detail the issue of “exchange of territories”, but emphasizes that his objective has always been a diplomatic solution within the Constitution of Kosovo, in cooperation with strategic allies.
At the end of the interview, when asked if he would advise the PDK to form a coalition with Albin Kurti’s Vetëvendosje to overcome the current political blockade, Thaçi answered briefly:My priority is the legal process I am currently going through. What I can say is that in Kosovo, the interests of the citizens should always be placed above the party interests“.
