Thaci: If the indictment is confirmed, I'll resign

He has also said that the only law that has violated is that of criminal Slobodan Milosevic, as he has indicated he will immediately resign if the indictment is confirmed against him.

If the indictment is confirmed, I will immediately resign as your president and face charges. Kosovo is a new state, but its leaders must behave like true statesmen. I will bear this burden and defend myself, our struggle for freedom, with all my strength. ” said Thaci in his address to the media./Periscopi/

Full speech from the address of President Thaci to citizens:

Brothers and sisters, fellow citizens and countrymen, in Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Presevo Valley and the diaspora,

I address you tonight from this office where for 1542 days I have the extraordinary honour of exercising the high office of the president of our state, free, independent and democratic Kosovo!

My heart is hurt, but not broken.

My mind is heavy, but not troubled.

My blood is angry, but pure and comparable to the blood of my fellow fighters who lost in the war.

It's the same as the blood of those who loved me and supported me generously on this road to freedom and statehood.

And at this moment even with the blood of those who have opposed me, I have been tried or judged differently than I would like.

I feel as never before today, completely free from the worries and weight of political confrontations.

Such concerns have sometimes taken on greater proportions than they deserved.

They clouded in your eyes the simple fact that we are all sons and daughters of this land and we all want the best for our country, Kosovo. But politics has these too. It is only natural that at this moment not easy for me, I have been reminded of those who have given their lives for freedom.

Others I've known along my long way, from the time I was an idealistic boy who wanted to change the world to the present with white grays. I have remembered momentous moments and very personal moments. I've been thinking about my parents, grandparents, family, and my son, Andrew.

Anyone who has become a man today can see him in the eye with no trembling about the alleged launch of a war crimes process!

I realized very early that we, KLA fighters, would pay a great human, family and political price. This is the prize for Kosovo freedom.

It is fair that every claim of any charge of war crimes must be cleared from everyone and wherever it is.

My fellow fighters, with some of whom peace has often divided us into different political jars, have challenged with the great force of truth many vile factories, and in the end their innocence has shone upon the dung of monstrous accusations.

It will be the same with me and my brother from the blood of war, Kadri Wessel.

Dear citizens,

Political errors in peace may have been made, but war crimes never!

Even if I went back, in Slobodan Milosevic's black time, I would do the same, responding to the enemy bullet with the thirst for freedom and never taking revenge on any Serbian, Roma or Albanian citizen.

But one thing let me make it very clear:

Over two decades I have supported initiatives to establish courts of international involvement or oversight.

This principle remains the same today, when I am Hashim Thaci, who will personally be able to face a court for which I have given my political support, by word and by vote.

At the time, we had only two roads to face.

One I've trusted my whole life and I trust today to move forward in a close alliance with the United States and the European Union;

And second that this issue is handed over to the United Nations Security Council, where the countries that oppose the state of Kosovo have a powerful influence.

My decision was strategic in line with the vision of Kosovo's future.

And I haven't looked for daily political benefits.

Today, who says I've been made an obstacle, even the sabotager of this court, is at best ill-informed, and in the worst case, biased.

But, on the other hand, one must make the balance of these 21 years of investigation, processes and war crimes judgments in Kosovo.

Dear citizens,

I would be the happiest person to see that the international community applies the same standards between Kosovo and Serbia in addressing war crimes.

Unfortunately, not only do I not see this standard of proportion, but I see its opposite.

And here we are today.

Serbia walks on the road to negotiations for European membership, while Kosovo does not enjoy the right to free movement!

Of course I don't see any plot against Kosovo here. But it is a fact that the difference in the international community's approach to the two countries. We certainly have our mistakes and responsibilities. I first and with me all the leaders of political parties in Kosovo, who have been unable for several years to maintain political cohesion.

But no fault or mistake of ours or mine justifys the fact that Kosovo has been 21 years on and on with war crimes processes in its space. And on the other side of Serbia has dropped the silence of the war crimes tomb. That silence of Serbia makes silence of the international community even more serious.

We are engaged, I personally am committed strongly to dialogue and peace with Serbia. But I do not agree, nor do I accept the fact that for thousands of Albanians missing from Slobodan Milosevic's murderous machine, whose bones are on Serbia's soil, there will be no international statements.

Should we wait for the day when we are told that we should apologize to Serbia for our disappearances, for our mothers and sisters to rape, for ethnic cleansing, and genocide against us?

This absurd question arises naturally because no one in Serbia is no longer accountable for war crimes!

However, I do not want to be extended today with this subject compared to the ratios of justice to war crimes, which will certainly take place in the history of justice and international politics as a grim page of them for the past two decades.

Dear citizens,

In these two decades I have had the privilege of having the support of most of you, serving at the helm of the highest state institutions. Of course, in these two decades, I have unwittingly made a concession. Some of these are known to me today.

I did not hesitate to make war with fellow fighters with weapons and diplomacy against Serbia, no matter the price I could pay, even with my life. The war is over. Kosovo is free and sovereign state.

Therefore, in the last two decades I have worked and will work for peace and reconciliation with Serbia and throughout the Balkans.

Today I live not just for myself and my family,

... buteven those friends I buried during the war,

...to parents and their children and their grandchildren.

I live for the historic mission I belong to with Kadri Veselin, Ramush Haradinaj, Fatmir Limaj, and many others who were the first to fight for freedom, but also the first to be hit and attacked after the war.

Dear citizens,

We did not go to war to win elections, nor to take power. We went to live free, to die for freedom! We had nothing but the grand dream of freedom and independence. Together, we made our dream come true. But the passage from the path to liberation war in the corridors of institutions could not be easy for us or easy.

I can tell you that more I was driving from these corridors than war paths. I slept a little in the war, but my sleep renewed. And after the war, I was getting a little sleep from my dilemmas about how to do the new day's work better. I did what I could, but not as much as I would like.

But today, I don't want to list the achievements of my career, because this is neither a farewell message, nor a moment's work balance for me. I just want to tell you that I've carried many accusations and so many insults over the years.
Nor have I ever denied when I was at the head of government, nor do I deny today that, just as there has been accomplishment in Kosovo's development, so have I had challenges in governing and leading the state. This is natural for a leader.

But one thing is certain: there is no such thing as and there can be no single test at Hashim Thaci's address for violations of any law.

The only law I've violated is that of Milosevic.

I am not from heaven, neither am I a saint.

My fate in very particular historical circumstances set the line of my life and conduct.

Politics was never a source of life to me, but a sacred mission to serve the country and you loving citizens.

There is no one in Kosovo or anywhere in this world who owes you.

But whoever gave me one more vote during all of my career that's still going on, tonight I want to say:

Forgive me if I haven't done everything you've expected of me, but be assured that I haven't betrayed your faith.

I bow before your faith.

noble companions,

Kosovo is entering a new chapter and not an easy one. But this is nothing new, since our history has had many difficult times. This is a new chapter for me too, and right now I still don't know how difficult it will be. But I am willing to write this chapter with my truth in front of anyone.

I don't know if it was a coincidence or it was a plot that led to the middle of the road to the White House.

Will this be the last price to be paid for Kosovo freedom? The road was cut off. But they do not violate my belief in the values that the United States and the White House represent for me and the citizens of Kosovo.

In the practice of justice in the civilised world, the public announcement of an act still not approved by the judicial body is a major scandal.

No alleged crime, or even committed by anyone, justifys public lynching.

No good purpose and no great will for justice argues the factory of a media bomb to incriminate Kosovo's first state, just as dialogue with Serbia had entered a new phase thanks to the White House's direct commitment.

What justice is concerned about this lightning rush and this flagrant violation of the rules of a fair and independent judicial process? This question will need to be clarified at the right time and in the right place.

And the short answer to that question is:

That communique blew up and missed a very important meeting at the White House, giving a strong blow to the possibility of achieving Kosovo-Serbia peace. So the appeal I want to close this message with tonight is:

Kosovo must ensure the stable functioning of state institutions, under any circumstances.

In this new, difficult, only united chapter, we can move forward on both the national and international plains. The following days we will consult with political leaders about the next steps. I assure you once again, with justice I will not face this office.

If the indictment is confirmed, I will immediately resign as your president and face charges. Kosovo is a new state, but its leaders must behave like true statesmen. I will bear this burden and defend myself, our struggle for freedom, with all my strength.

I will not allow these false accusations to shift Kosovo's attention from taking the country that deserves in the international community as a member of the United Nations, NATO and the European Union.

Kosovo is home to all its citizens. A European state of a multiethnic society. Once again I say no to revenge and to interethnic tolerance. Only by building civic democracy do we build Euro-Atlantic futures.

Dear citizens,

Thanking all of you for bringing me words and encouraging messages, I wish you all good from the heart. Thank you for your attention. God bless Kosovo and the Albanian nation!