Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said that many people considered him “crazy” when he decided to launch NATO’s air campaign against Serbia to stop the war in Kosovo.
“I told them: just wait and see. This will be the only time in the modern world when a war is won solely through air power – because Kosovars never give up. Eventually, it would become too costly for the Serbs to continue the fight. And in this way, we would save many lives,” Clinton said during a panel at the Clinton Global Initiative titled “What Next?”
Clinton also highlighted the large Albanian community in New York, noting that “two people with the surname Osmani live on my street.”
He expressed pride in the people of Kosovo, stressing that his life has long been connected to Albanians. Clinton praised President Vjosa Osmani for Kosovo’s economic growth and security progress.
He added that he is surrounded by Albanians where he lives, “always receiving the first-hand information.” Clinton even shared an anecdote about a New York restaurant owned by an Albanian, where the manager happens to be a Serb – something he said symbolizes coexistence.
