The lawyer of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Lluka Mishetiq, stated that the prosecution’s claim that the General Staff of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the summer of 1998 had allegedly “resolutely” opposed the government elected by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and had taken steps to create a “new government” is not true.
“We must emphasize that this is factually and legally incorrect. There was no elected LDK government, no legitimate elections, and no LDK government. The LDK was a political party, a non-state group, and the so-called elections it held were non-state elections. In fact, the government of [Bujar] Bukoshi was not even in Kosovo; it was a so-called ‘government-in-exile.’ The LDK had no greater legitimacy than the KLA to claim the authority it asserted,” Mishetiq said.
Regarding the prosecution’s claim that the KLA took steps to establish a new government, Mishetiq added:
“The prosecution cites political statement number seven. However, it is clear that this political statement addressed the creation of new institutions as part of the negotiations with Serbia, mediated by Ambassador [Christopher] Hill. The statement did not claim that the KLA was forming a new government independently or excluding the LDK.”
The Democratic League of Kosovo is one of the oldest political parties in Kosovo, founded in 1989 by Ibrahim Rugova. It played a key role during the period of peaceful resistance and in building the country’s democratic institutions.
/REL/
