During his testimony at The Hague, former U.S. diplomat James Rubin was asked by the judge about Hashim Thaçi’s whereabouts during NATO’s air campaign in Kosovo.
Rubin revealed that Thaçi had told him he was often inside Kosovo, in hiding to avoid being killed, while simultaneously supporting his organization and the people of Kosovo.
“He told me that not always, but often, he was in Kosovo, in hiding to avoid being killed, while helping his organization and the people of Kosovo. He said that he wasn’t there all the time, but most of the time, he was inside Kosovo,” Rubin testified.
According to Rubin, Thaçi used a satellite phone to communicate with the U.S. State Department’s operations center. Rubin clarified that he did not have Thaçi’s direct number, but Thaçi would call in the mornings.
“I received the information; I wasn’t seeking it. The calls usually started with me asking how he and his family were, and then I tried to gather information about what was happening on the ground. Sometimes, he would get wrong reports from others, but we wanted the information directly,” Rubin explained.
