Jock Covey, former deputy to Bernard Kouchner, once again testified at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, this time discussing the creation of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) and the international community’s position regarding this structure.
The American witness emphasized that Hashim Thaçi had no role in the KPC during its early phase and that deliberately, no impression was given that he was connected to it.
“At that time, Agim Çeku was technically the commander of the KPC. The KPC was still in the process of being formed, and when I pressured Çeku to take certain actions, he reminded me that the KPC was still being established. At that point, Thaçi had no role in the KPC, and we did not want to give him any impression that we believed he had any connection to the KPC,” Covey said.
He also added that representatives of the United Nations in New York were very skeptical and opposed to the formation of the KPC.
“This was a formality in itself, although New York expected us to convey the same message from both leaders, we were clear that New York was very much against the KPC. It took them a long time in New York to accept that this was a very thoughtful, wise move,” he emphasized.
