Lawyer Paul Williams, continuing his testimony at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in defense of Hashim Thaçi and others, discussed the members of the Kosovo delegation in Rambouillet and Paris.
Initially, the judge asked Williams about the number of delegation members.
He explained that there were 16 people, although he had difficulty recalling all the names:
“Ibrahim Rugova, Rexhep Qosja, Veton Surroi, Hashim Thaçi, Bujar Bukoshi, Edita Tahiri, Jakup Krasniqi, Blerim Shala, Dukagjin Gorani, and there were seats for the Albanian advisors from Kosovo. Bajram Kosumi was also a member.”
Williams could not recall whether Kadri Veseli was part of the delegation.
The judge then asked why Thaçi was chosen as the head of the delegation, reports Klankosova.tv.
“As far as I know, three of them were chosen by consensus, based on a February 7 meeting record that Edita Tahiri showed me. I was also given the document that allowed me access to the Castle. Rugova represented LDK, Qosja LDK, and Thaçi represented the KLA. The decision was made two for, one against—Qosja for Thaçi, Thaçi for himself—and that’s how Thaçi was chosen. Two votes in favor, one against,” Williams explained.
When asked why Hashim Thaçi was the face of negotiations for the KLA, Williams said:
“The idea was that there was a desire for the Kosovo independence process, which was multi-layered. Rugova was a pacifist and pro-independence. Bukoshi worked more with Americans and Europeans. There were also non-state actors involved; there was another dimension regarding self-determination and the strategy for independence. They wanted a KLA representative to demonstrate through actions, words, and commitments that this KLA person could be a negotiator and diplomat who would be trusted. The team needed diverse personalities so that the negotiator could be the key figure, act decisively, and not yield. When building a team, you must consider the character of each person.”
Williams also revealed the two most frequent words used by Ibrahim Rugova:
“Rugova was the first client I advised pro bono. He respected and greatly admired every discussion with international actors, and he always ended with two words: ‘independence and non-use of force.’
Rugova played an important role in Rambouillet. His role was significant, and his aspirations for independence were clear, but he was not a negotiator; he did not negotiate. One dimension is this. The KLA was seen as a very important dimension of Kosovo’s political composition,” said Paul Williams.
