During his testimony at The Hague, James Rubin, authorized by the U.S. Government, stated that Serbian forces consistently attempted to cover up their crimes and blame the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) instead.
Rubin emphasized that Serbian forces deliberately concealed crimes to destroy evidence and avoid accountability once NATO arrived in Kosovo, leaving no available proof for the War Crimes Tribunal.
He further explained that the Serbian government was not acting according to conventional warfare but rather operating like criminals to hide atrocities.
“This was a pattern we had already seen in Bosnia and again in Kosovo… They always tried to blame the KLA. That was the way the Serbian Government justified what they were doing—by shifting the blame onto others,” Rubin stated.
Rubin also recalled a meeting in Brussels with Jakup Krasniqi, where Krasniqi had requested U.S. military intervention, arms for the KLA, and measures to stop Slobodan Milošević’s ethnic cleansing campaign.
According to Rubin, Krasniqi’s requests were rational at the time, though impossible to fulfill during that period.
At this stage, the defense concluded its questions to the witness. The prosecution, represented by Prosecutor James Pace, will now proceed with questioning, which is expected to last four hours.
Rubin denied participating in pre-Rambouillet meetings with members of the KLA General Staff and also denied meeting KLA zone commanders. He added that before Rambouillet, he did not know that Hashim Thaçi was head of the KLA’s Political Directorate.
