THE NEW NATION
Kosovo, a Balkan nation that is the size of Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar put together, declared independence in 2008. In an exclusive interview with the Star, Kosovo's Prime Minister His Excellency Hashim Thaçi talks about life before and after independence.
The Star: How was the Kosovo Liberation Army (Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës; UÇK) formed? Why did you decide to break free from Serbia?
Hashim Thaçi: The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has been ranked as one of the most successful military organisations in modern history. Its success does not have to do with its military power as it faced one of the most advanced military machines in Europe; rather its power came from the will of the people to break free from a continued long and systematic oppression carried out by Serbian regime towards the people of Kosovo. Indeed, KLA was formed in very difficult moments and initially had very limited military arsenal. However, it managed to organise itself and attract many young people. It was the only hope for the protection of Kosovo people until March 1999 when NATO bombardment was launched to push the Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic to accept the demands of Kosovo people and international community to end the war in Kosovo and withdraw all its military and police forces. This happened on 3 June 1999, a remarkable date when the Serbian forces left Kosovo after a century of occupation.
There are two main reasons why Kosovo decided to break free from Serbia. First, Kosovo wanted to exercise its right to become an independent country just like the rest of the republics of the former-Yugoslavia, such as Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. Second, Serbia's injustice towards the Kosovo people had reached an unbearable level, expressed through a systematic denial of human rights and immediate imprisonment of anybody who dared to ask for independence. After the horrific massacres of Kosovo Albanian civilians carried out by Serbian paramilitary forces in 1998-1999 and the expulsion of the half of Kosovo's two million population, there was no other alternative than permanently break free from Serbia and build a new and independent Kosovo. The struggle of the people of Kosovo and the KLA fight for a just cause was supported from the democratic world through the NATO alliance engagement in a 78 days air strike campaigns against Serbian military forces. The investment of the democratic countries of the world which helped Kosovo to get its freedom and independence has been paid off. Today, Kosovo as independent and sovereign country has been become key factor of peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Furthermore, Kosovo is in the path to become a member of EU and NATO in the future and give its contribution for the peace and stability in the world.
The Star: Please tell our readers about the Republic of Kosovo's independence war and how it was fought.
Hashim Thaçi: The independence war was a long process and fought in different fields. Initially, when Serbia striped Kosovo of its constitutional status within the former Yugoslavia, people of Kosovo started a pacific movement to oppose the Serbian illegal occupation of Kosovo. The system of peaceful opposition has its effects by internationalising to a certain degree the plight of Kosovo people suffering under the apartheid system instigated by the Serbian government.
However, this system was not having the desired effects of solving the issue of Kosovo, as such a more pragmatic approach was required. Thus, the people of Kosovo, the young boys and girls took up arms to defend their innate right to freedom from Serbia.
The war should be thought carefully, and should be last instance for achieving e desired goal. This was the case of Kosovo, there was no other mechanism to change the situation on the ground, and stop the continued oppression, imprisonment and random killings of innocent civilians.
Kosovo fighters were civilians, people from the normal life, as such their approach to fighting was humane, as it was not our aim to inflict same sufferings to Serbs as Kosovo Albanians were suffering from the Serb regime that was imposed by Serbia’s president Slobodan Milosevic.
Our humane approach was recognised by the international community which started a 78 days military campaign to drive out of Kosovo the Serb paramilitary and security forces of Serbia.
It has to be stated that we are not a war mongering nation, and such we engaged seriously in all aspects of dialogue that were initiated and at times held during the war. To this aim, under my leadership, we participated in the Raboullet talks and signed the agreement for peace and self government in Kosovo. Serbia, contrary to signing it, increased the level of attacks towards the civilians. After the war was over in 1999, the UN took over Kosovo and was in charge for the administration of Kosovo until 17 February 2008 when Kosovo declared its independence.
International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo, as envisaged under UN Security Council Resolution 1244. After the talks were exhausted in February 2007, Ahtisaari delivered a draft status settlement proposal to leaders in Kosovo and Serbia, the basis for a draft UN Security Council Resolution which proposed 'supervised independence' for the Kosovo. A draft resolution, backed by the United States, the United Kingdom and other European members of the Security Council, was presented and rewritten several times to try to accommodate Russian concerns.
After many weeks of discussions at the UN, the United States, United Kingdom and other European members of the Security Council formally 'discarded' a draft resolution backing Ahtisaari's proposal on 20 July 2007, having failed to secure Russian backing. Beginning in August, a "Troika" consisting of negotiators from the European Union, the United States and Russia launched a new effort to reach a status outcome acceptable to both Kosovo and Serbia. Yet again, Russia did not approve the outcome of the talks about the supervised independence for Kosovo. These long processes of talks ended on 17 February 2008 when the freely elected Kosovo Parliament declared the Independence of Kosovo.
The Star: We know that during the Kosovo war hundreds died and around 800,000 people were displaced. Please tell us about the war crimes committed during the war.
Hashim Thaçi: The systematic repression of Kosovo Albanians from Serbian regime was not a new element, and was characterised by different forms in different times. However the mass scale offensive involving brutality, destruction of whole villages, terror, execution, ethnic cleansing and crimes started in the beginning of 1998. The situation continued to deteriorate where entire families where murdered and massacred by Serbian security forces, and entire villages destroyed and burned. As a consequence of these actions, approximately one million Kosovo Albanians were forced to leave Kosovo and take shelter in neighbouring, European, North American, and other hosting countries, with Albania shouldering the heaviest burden of them all with more than 500,000 refugees from Kosovo. In addition more than 400,000 Kosovars where internally displaced within Kosovo and whole regions where burned and destroyed. The most devastating part of the war was and continues to be the heavy death toll of approximately 13,000 innocent people killed, and more than 6026 of which 1716 are still missing, as a consequence of the Serbia’s terror in Kosovo.
The Star: Except for Serbia, the three other countries bordering Kosovo have recognised Kosovo's sovereignty, and you have also become members of the World Bank and the IMF. 105 countries have also recognised Kosovo; to what extent have you progressed in getting the membership of the UN and the OIC?
Hashim Thaçi: Kosovo has declared its independence on February 17, 2008, and since then it has been recognised by majority of members of the UN, 23 out of 28 members of the European Union, and 35 members of the OIC, including here most of the neighbours of Kosovo. The government of Kosovo is pursuing a vigorous policy to increase the number of recognitions and also membership in international organisations such as EU, UN and other organisations. In addition, our philosophy is good relations with all the countries including neighbourly relations for the benefit of European Integration. As you know, Kosovo and Serbia have embarked into dialogue for the normalisation of their relations with the mediation of the EU. As result of this process, we have been able to achieve the first historical agreement on normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia on 19 April 2013. Thus, with the dialogue ongoing between me as Prime Minister of Republic of Kosovo and my counterpart from Serbia, I remain confident that in the future Serbia will be amongst the countries to recognise Kosovo.
Having in consideration the progress made by Kosovo, I also remain very confident that time will come for Kosovo to take its deserved seat in the UN and in all other international organisations.
The Star: How do you think Bangladesh can be benefited if it gives recognition to Kosovo?
Hashim Thaçi: Kosovo now is parliamentary democracy, with functional state institutions, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society aspiring for Euro-Atlantic integration. In addition, Kosovo is a factor of stability and prosperity in the region of Western Balkans. As I said, now we have also reached the agreement with Serbia for the normalisation of the relations between our states. All the minorities living in Kosovo, including the Serbs, enjoy all their rights in accordance with the highest international standards and are fully integrated in Kosovo state institutions and society. Therefore, in order to continue to support the stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans region, it is highly important that Kosovo’s independence is recognised from all remaining countries worldwide, including yours.
In addition, Bangladesh and Kosovo share similarities and their historic path towards freedom and democracy is highly similar. As such, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and all the citizens of Kosovo would be highly appreciative towards the Government of Bangladesh and its people for their decision to recognise Kosovo.
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