What did James Rubin tell us about the charges against Hashim Thaci?

A 2011 story, not long after the Euro-Deputer Dick Marty report was released with the editor of the Albanian-American newspaper “Illyria”, We met Vehbi Bajrami to get some thoughts and advice, the man who had overcome Serbian propaganda in the time of the Kosovo War

From Reuben Avjiu

James Rubin will be the first witness called by Defence in the judicial process to Hashim Thaci in The Hague.

Rubin became well known for Albanians when as State Department spokesman and close associate and advisor of Secretary Madeleine Albright led the campaign of American public diplomacy during NATO's intervention in Kosovo.

His work was of great importance. NATO beat Serbia militarily, but Ruby won the most important battle, that of public opinion, in the face of Serbian fraud, anti-American propaganda of countries from Russia to China, as well as “paciphists in the West who blame America for any conflict.

For coincidence, James Rubin was interviewed at the time they first filed charges against Thaci, KLA, Kosovo through the infamous report of the Swiss Eurodeput Dick Marty.

Rubin has been an early reader and friend of the newspaper “, with a personal friendship with her publisher Vehbi Bajrami.

When the newspaper “Iliria” celebrated its 20th anniversary, Ruby was one of the top guest honours, on the Galra evening in Manhattan, where she was honoured with a newspaper decoration for his hard work in Kosovo's service.

The meeting to interview was held at one of those beautiful Townhouse-style houses in the coveted and expensive New York area, Upper East Side, which is also the area where all the UN consulates and missions are located.

The beautiful private building, with its characteristic white marble and black knangelies, was made available to Mike Bloomberg news agency “Bloomberg News”, which for the first time was experimenting with a section of opinions and editorials, at the top of which James Rubin was put. Bloomberg himself was then mayor of New York City City.

It was May 2011. Editor Vehbi Bajrami had talked to “Jemin” as those who know him often call him, and had set the day of the interview. We went together since morning. In my bag, I also had a photo camera, although we were specifically told that no photos would be taken inside the news agency's facilities. I was confident that we would find a moment and a place to fix a post for our memories, even if it was not published.

James Rubin is also known as the husband of prominent Christian journalist Amanpour, who was distinguished in her reporting and comments on events in Bosnia and Kosovo. By the late 1990s, they had become one of the most powerful couples in Washington, though on different sides of the “barricades<x1nd of the information battle. The one from the media, the one from Clinton Administration.

During a warm conversation filled with personal memories, prior to the interview, Vehbiu tried to persuade her to come as a couple to the festival of the newspaper “I think that Christiane is much better known and may have thought Jamie deserved all his attention to him.

Among the friends that Kosovo has honoured, James Rubin is one of the few left behind. Editor Bajrami was determined to show Albanians had not forgotten. In fact, when they both got up on stage, in the big hall with nearly 1,000 participants on the capacity that allowed the rules, but also another story, all of them stood up, applauding and calling his name. It was one of the highlights of Darca, which we published on the front page.

The Forgotten World of 1999

I remind these moments that the conversation with James Rubin focused precisely on accusations against Kosovo fighters, as well as changing reports on the international plan where Kosovo was suddenly required to explain itself or when both her and Serbia's words were taken into consideration. In 1999, there was debate as well, but then Serbian propaganda was more easily defeated.

Had she been weaker, or had Ruby had any talents or strategies that she is missing today?

Two days ago US Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo was suspended, while promised to begin with Serbia. That would be unimaginable in 2011 when we met James Ruby, but even then Kosovo felt pressure.

Enjoyed our conversation with him at the time, and it's worth remembering today that it's very current.

We may sometimes need to talk to people who see things from a distance not only geographic but also time. James Rubin stopped dealing with Kosovo and the Balkans. He smiled a little with our concerns and admitted that they were really problems, but said Americans have an expression about them: “happy problems”.

“Today you're really attacked, but you're in your homes, you're an independent state, and you can't get won by it in”, he says. “Of course, this campaign is a problem, but of those we call happy problems in the U.S., problems you don't fear to face, that you have left behind the most threatening of those.

He also explains that times have changed. At one time Serbs were the “negative personage”. They were led by a war criminal, ignored the West, committed crimes on the population. It was easy at that time to convince the world to side with Kosovars. Today, when Kosovo has gained independence and Serbs have been forced to make the democratic changes required by the West (which, he adds, still have many ways to go), the world's opinion no longer gets excited about Kosovo's work. On the contrary, the idea prevails that Kosovo must now take responsibility and render an account just like any other independent state.

Today, those who said Ruby added Serbia's efforts to lure the US, the EU and the West, with rare minerals, with contributions to ammunition production and corrupt investment opportunities and personal benefits.

James Rubin spoke with simplicity about his role and success in 1999. He said his work compared to today's battles for international public opinion was very easy.

There were only two or three television stations in my time giving news 24 hours a day. This type of information device was in the explosion, but it was still easy to work with”, he showed us. “Every day I gave a half - way press conference and it was seen all over the world. I had great opportunity to explain our views to the world”.

Since 2011 when we spoke to him, and even more in our time, with the flow of social networks and new platforms, opinion is bombarded with much more information than it can consume. While the information was more monopolized than it should be, today it is more distracted than it should be.

It can be said without fear that we have been very fortunate that the war in Kosovo occurred before the arrival of Facebook or X networks.

As he shows himself modest, former The State Secretary is generous in granting credit to his chiefs in politics: President Clinton and Secretary Albright.

The “is already a fact known that Mrs. Albright was the most powerful supporter of intervention in Kosovo in the administration of President Clinton”, recalling former spokeswoman Rubin. The president put the articulation into the public of the reasons for the intervention, which then was my job as its spokesman”.

But it was important, he explains, that President Clinton demanded at any cost that our Kosovo policy be explained in such a way that it would gain support not only in the US but worldwide. To provoke him to overcome the range of modesty, I told him that if everything was boated by historical circumstances and the media, then the communicator's personal role remains to be minimal. There Ruby acknowledged that his commitment at that time was actually one more factor.

“has an expression that says: Nothing convinces you as obedience”, said, remembering that time. I was pretty sure about what I was talking about. I wasn't just reading words on paper or doing the duty. I had myself been participating in the decision-making process at the State Department, as a close associate of Mrs. Albright. I had learned a lot, knew facts, knew names, personally participated in the negotiation process, even talking to the KLA. I believed that by interfering they were doing humanitarian action, avoiding the catastrophe that threatened the people of Kosovo. It is no wonder that those who have attended my public appearance have noticed the conviction with which I communicate and in the process themselves have been convinced that they were doing what they needed to do”.

Recount charges, never charge me! ”

Today, he will speak as a witness to the charges summed up in the indictment against Hashim Thaci. At the time we spoke to him, these charges were part of a report produced by Dick Marty and the only negative thing at the time was damage to Kosovo's image and its war. At that time, there was no court or indictment on the horizon, even though the possibility existed.

So our conversation also focused more on what Albanians should do to respond to them. The KLA's moral advantage, according to him, would not be affected, and that did not mean there was no crime, but they do not have how to dress an army that has openly condemned any attack on civilians.

You see, that may have had punishable actions in wartime, that should not surprise anyone”, James Rubin explains. When death prevails, people can make decisions that they would never make today”.

But his advice is that Albanians do not fall into the trap of conspiracy theories. “They're a vortex from which it no longer exits if it slides inside”.

My advice to Albanian leaders is not to fall into this trap. When faced with charges, deal with charges rather than with the accuser. Do not waste their energy exposing the accuser's intentions rather than helping, in effect, harm. Just deal with the charges. Read the facts one by one, and with the calm of a lawyer in court, present the unaltered facts and resentment”, he advises.

James Rubin says he understands the emotional response: “We are all like this when we are wrongly put before serious accusations. At this point, however, quietness must be found to act clearly. Speaking only of Dick Marty risks his accusations being left unanswered. The charges, not the accuser, are the ones worthy of attention. ”

On the other hand, Kosovo leaders must take care of only one thing, make Kosovo's new state flourish. This is revenge and the best response, to any accusation”, he told us.