3 hours agoAlbright's thrilling conversation with Demach: If thirty thousand Albanians are to be killed for freedom, so be it
Periskopi(8 years ago)
(8 years ago)Throughout history: how Madeline Albright, then US Secretary of Foreign Affairs, describes the telephone conversation with Adem Demac during the Kosovo delegation's negotiations in Ramboullett in the winter of 1999. Details are disconnected from the book of Albright “Madam Secretary: a memor”, Miramax Books, 2003. All afternoon, I wondered how to convince Thaci. [...]
All afternoon, I wondered how to convince Thaci. I had called all those who I thought could influence the leader of the KLA, so I finally decided to try Adam Demachin.
Demac was an old Kosovo nationalist, one of those who pressured Thaci to maintain the worst possible stance. I called him in Slovenia and asked Thaci to encourage him to support our stand.
Demach replied that he could not agree with everything and that he wanted to meet me personally; he suggested that I go to Slovenia and talk to him. I said: “has been talking for two weeks. Even a few hours left to expire. ”
I can meet you in the future, but now you have to give Thaci your approval. If you don't do that, failure will haunt you all the time that ordinary Albanians will be killed.
Demaci said: “We appreciate your efforts, but we do not want to rush. If it is necessary to die even thirty thousand Albanians, let them die, but we will not deliver weapons only on the basis of promises. We will never give up our dream of being free.
I replied: my proposal does not mean that you give up your dream. Do not let this opportunity for peace slip away. Tell Thaci you support him.
Demach welcomed me: “It's impossible”.
I hung up the phone with a sense of disgust. This telephone conversation had been one of the most thrilling conversations I had ever had in my life. Despite Demach, our pressure finally worked.
