Former spokeswoman NATO reports 78 days of bombing: NATO Shows Firmness

“78 days have been stressful, but certainly more stressful were for Kosovo citizens who were in cellars and hiding, and had to endure violence. So life was much easier for me in Brussels than for all of you in Kosovo. But this connection with the people of Kosovo was a magical moment”, the former spokeswoman has stressed NATO, in an interview for Kosovas.

He has said NATO was determined to prevent the violence and violation of human rights in Kosovo that were then being committed by Slobodan Milosevic's regime.

“Was a determination, because NATO had been trying a year to persuade President Milosevic to remove his special forces from Kosovo, stop the Kosovo Albanian people's boycott campaign and accept a negotiated peaceful solution, which would bring Kosovo back its autonomy. Unfortunately, President Milosevic was not prepared to accept diplomatic resolution, while the violence before March 24th increased significantly, we had Recak's massacre in January, and so when NATO began the air campaign, we had feelings of remorse, that we had to use force, but at the same time we were determined to make sure to stop violence, stop human rights violations, and we did not have another terrible situation like genocide in Srebrenica, in Bosnia, in 1995. We had to make sure that we acted decisively and decisively”, he indicated.

NATO's air war with Serbia had lasted for 78 days, something that, according to him, had not been expected even by the Alliance itself.

Shea has said they had hoped that the air campaign would initially last 24 hours. However, he points out that for NATO was not important the length of the operation, but the outcome it was reaching, which was said to be the end of the depression and the return of the people of Kosovo to their homes.

No, honestly, no. When a military operation begins, these things are easier to launch than to be completed. You never know what's going to happen, because once you use force, you create another dynamic. And, of course, I think that yes, in NATO we all hoped that the air campaign, initially lasted 24 hours, President Milosevic would see that NATO is united and determined, that he could not win, and that his best option was to meet the conditions of the International Community and return to the negotiating table. But Milosevic was a stubborn man, as you well know, a very cynical man, and he decided to fight. He wanted to challenge NATO, he wasn't prepared to give up, so he went on for 78 days, but for NATO, what was important was not the length of the operation, was the result being achieved, the end of the depression, to allow the people of Kosovo to return to their homes and to allow Kosovo to live in peace and freedom. So, I'm sure if it had lasted 178 days, as far as NATO is concerned, there would have been no change”, Shea stressed.

But what was the lesson that NATO received from this bombing campaign, the former Alliance's spokeswoman shows.

“Well, I think the lesson is, not making empty threats, acting together, determined, with Europeans and Americans working together, and having very concrete objectives, which was the departure of Serbian forces and the end of the depression, the end of violence and the creation of conditions for the people of Kosovo to return to their homes, and of course, ultimately, as they did in 2008, to determine their future peacefully, having an international administration that could help Kosovo after the conflict to rebuild itself... But you have to believe that humanitarian intervention, regardless of the risks, can be successful and the risk of action is always smaller in my view than the risk of standing aside and doing nothing”, says Shea.

Jamie Shea was the voice of NATO throughout that important period for Kosovo. He addressed the media from headquarters in Brussels, but it was the face the Kosovo people already knew very well.

He had visited Kosovo shortly after the liberation in June 1999.

Meeting with the Kosovo people, he values it as one of the best moments of his life.

For me, it was a very significant moment. And of course, by being so greeted, and thinking, my lord, these people are really happy with what NATO was able to do to help them. So, yeah, it was a great moment, a great moment. And of course 78 days have been stressful, but certainly more stressful were the citizens of Kosovo who were in basements and hiding themselves, and who had to endure violence. So life was much easier for me in Brussels than for all of you in Kosovo, I appreciate that. But this connection to the people of Kosovo was a magical moment. I've never had such a moment before, and I'll never have such a moment, or approaching this, for the rest of my life”, Shea confessed.

Former spokeswoman NATO says independent Kosovo is irreversible reality, and according to him, Serbia will have to accept this.

Commenting on the March 18th agreement in Ohrid, Shea says normalising relations will make it politically easier to recognise Kosovo from Serbia.

“Po, I believe that yes (in a future Serbia will recognise Kosovo). I mean, it's taking a lot longer than I hoped. And I noticed that President Vuciq, in the agreement reached in Northern Macedonia last weekend with Prime Minister Kurti on the EU plan for normalisation, is still not ready to recognise (Kosovo). Of course it will take an act of political courage from the Serbian leadership, but once it is done, I believe that everyone in Serbia, everyone in Kosovo, and in the region, will accept this and we will continue on... Again, it is taking longer than I had hoped, but this normalisation agreement, in terms of recognising Kosovo documents, recognising Kosovo's symbols and increasing contacts, and so on, I think normalising relations will make it politically easier for Belgrade to recognise Kosovo, probably not today, but certainly tomorrow”, he stressed.

He hopes that with the agreement on normalisation, Belgrade will take a more co-operative position, not encouraging any kind of violence in northern Kosovo.

“I hope that with this normalisation agreement, even Belgrade will take a more cooperative, certainly not encouraging, encouraging no violence in the north, and I hope over time that everything will calm down and people will return to normal life. No doubt the Serb people in Kosovo have a future to live a normal, prosperous and happy life. These minority problems have been solved in many European countries and I see no reason why they cannot be solved in Kosovo. So, yes, there will be several incidents from time to time, which KFOR and police are able to treat very effectively, thank God. But my impression is war, like what happened in 1999, will not happen in any way. NATO's KFOR is there to make sure that even if it is an opportunity, which I don't think exists, international troops are there to preserve security and prevent that from happening. So now there's only one way, and that's ahead. There's no turning back, there's only forward. The question is, how fast we can move forward”, Shea has declared it.

Shea has said that the Serb crimes committed in Kosovo are known and that according to him Serbia must understand this, and take responsibility, until she emphasises that only in this way can reconciliation be achieved.