Total interview President Thaci for FAZ: As Kosovo free citizen, I will continue to serve the state

From prison, former president and former Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has given an interview for the prestigious German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

FAZ: Mr Thaci, at first accept my late condolences for your father's death. I suppose this loss must have been especially serious, since you couldn't attend his funeral. In one of your previous interviews, you have said that you have no intention of returning to politics, if you are declared innocent and returned to Kosovo as a free man. Is that true? Has Hashim Thaci's political life finally ended?

Thaci: I truly appreciate your good words for my father's death. It was a big loss for my family and me personally. I am now in my sixth year of detention and still await a court decision. The fact that I couldn't attend my father's funeral and bid my last farewell has hurt me deeply, a pain I will carry for the rest of my life. You ask if my political life is over. I see the political race finished, but not my political life. As a free citizen of Kosovo, I will continue to serve the public and the state in the future. We bow before the people of Kosovo, who for two decades have given me confidence, respect and support for my political vision. I also express deep gratitude for our international partners who have worked closely with me to carry out the will of citizens for freedom and independence. I feel fulfilled in my political career.

FAZ: Your defence team argues that inside U CK didn't have a clear chain of command, which means you and your co-accused can't be held responsible for the crimes committed on the ground, because you just didn't have control over them. Some witnesses in your process have supported that view. On the other hand, neither your lawyers deny that some KLA members have committed war crimes. If these crimes have happened, but there has been no command responsibility who should be brought to justice in your country and your accomplices?

Thaci: I fully support the arguments my defence team has filed in court after consultations with me. Specialised Chambers for Kosovo (Kosovo Specialist Chambers KSC) are actually the fourth mechanism led by the international community, after the ICTY (the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), as well as UNMIK courts (UN General Mission to Kosovo) and EULEX (EU Mission for Rule of Law). Each of these institutions has widely investigated the 19981999 events in Kosovo and has determined who is responsible for the abuses and who is not. The purpose of the KSC's establishment was to investigate claims by Dick Marty's report, especially charges of organ trafficking ʹ claims originating from Russian representatives to the Council of Europe. That was what was presented to Kosovo by the EU and for which the Kosovo Parliament voted when it decided to join the creation of this tributal. By contrast, our indictment and the case of the Specialised Prosecutor do not contain anything on such charges. Not a mention. The claims were untrue and it seems that the KSC saw them as invalid for further investigation. General Clark, in his testimony, also called the charges of Dick Marty's report a Russian deinformation campaign. As it is known, Russians have later used similar charges against Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Professor Daniel Cerwer visited me at The Hague some time ago. He later wrote that he too had supported the creation of a tribunal to handle Dick Marty's report and that the situation had something from a “curth”: The Kosovo Parliament believed, like him and I, that the court's focus would be primarily on charges of organ trafficking. He added that such courts should bring justice, not punishment on the basis of fraud, and that no liberation movement in the future would accept such a court. Our hope is that this process will contribute to truth, justice, and dignity. I am convinced that the judges have heard and seen the truth. The only question that remains is what they will do with it.

FAZ: Even if some KLA members committed crimes, the rate of these crimes cannot be compared to what Serbian security forces and paramilitary forces committed in 1998/99 in Kosovo. Is there any danger that the process against you and your co-accuses would distort the historical picture of what happened in the 1990s in Kosovo, creating to surface observers the impression that both sides committed similar crimes?

Thaci: This is a reasonable concern, shared by the overwhelming majority of people in Kosovo and beyond. The events of the '90s are well documented. This is not a matter of interpretation. It is part of the facts recorded by diplomatic documents, international organisations, tribunals and field observers. The so-called “tested” produced during the Milosevic era should not be used in any court or treated as facts. Many who were manufactured were intent on influence, not truth. If that is accepted, then it would be no wonder that similar claims against Ukraine and its leadership will be used in the future. By contrast, Kosovo has never attacked Serbian territory. We must remember that the people of Kosovo fought against oppression for the fundamental right to exist. It was a struggle for survival as individuals and as a people. This process should not be used to rewrite history and minimize the real suffering of a people.

FAZ: The process against you and your co-accuses is of great importance even to the West. If convicted, it would mean that the West (NATO) during the 1999 bombing has collaborated with a war criminal. Do you feel nervous about certain actors in the West for such a possible outcome? ( Personal point: In my opinion, NATO intervention in 1999 was justified and necessary. Madeleine Albright writes in her memories that in Rambouille, you could not make single decisions, but you should constantly consult the KLA in Kosovo. Will you use this argument in your defense?

Thaci: NATO's 1999 intervention was guided by basic Western values -- freedom, justice, human rights and the protection of human life. NATO came to our aid because it realized who we were, what we were standing for and what we were experiencing under the Milosevic regime. At the 1999 Rambouillet conference, our delegation accepted peace, while Serbia chose ethnic war and cleansing. Our decision reflected commitment to peaceful dialogue and co-existence. I'm sorry that figures like Madeleine Albright, Richard Holbrooke and Robert Dole are no longer alive. They would have been important witnesses. They understood the context and intentions of the people of Kosovo. Serbia attacked Kosovo and the people of Kosovo resisted. Without this resistance and without NATO intervention, Kosovo would not exist today.

FAZ: You haven't been active in politics for years. In an earlier interview, you said that a lasting peace with Serbia should be achieved through mutual recognition. Can you explain the idea of exchanging territories? Was this concrete topic ever between you and Aleksandar Vucic? And is it true that Angela Merkel was against this idea?

Thaci: My main goal was to ensure a lasting peace between Kosovo and Serbia a peace that would enable both countries to move forward and Kosovo to open the way for full international integration. It would be unforgivable to leave unresolved issues for future generations. My commitment has always been to diplomatic solutions, in accordance with the Kosovo Constitution and in co-operation with our strategic allies. Good relations with the EU, the US and the West are in Kosovo's national interest.

FAZ: Would you advise? The PDK co-operate with Albin Kurt's Vetevendosje to overcome the current blockade? Thaci: My priority is the legal process I am currently undergoing. However, I can say that the interests of citizens over party ones must always be placed in Kosovo. FAZ: US President Donald Trump and his special envoy, Richard Green, have expressed very negative attitudes towards prosecutor Jack Smith, who has pressed charges against both you and Trump. Do you believe Smith is just a political instrument in a bigger game? Thaci: At this moment, I can only speak of a principle that I consider universal: right should never be used as a political instrument. Kosovo has always seen the West as a model for democracy and rule of law. These are the standards we try to achieve in our society.