Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has declared before judges and prosecutors in The Hague that he has done for his people what they would have done for their country if they had experienced the same events.
Thaçi said that the accusation that he has claimed to take control of Kosovo is offensive to thousands of innocent victims and fighters.
"I decided to return to Kosovo in 1998. This was a personal decision, no one else's. I could not stand by while my family and people faced extermination. I did what each of you would do if your country were to experience what my people are experiencing. I am proud of this and I never regret it. The prosecution claims that my goal was to take control of Kosovo. This is untrue, but it is offensive. It is an insult to the memory of thousands of heroes who gave their lives for freedom. It is an insult to thousands of innocent victims killed during the massacres. It is an insult and an injustice and to the efforts of NATO and the Western alliance with which I worked closely," he declared in The Hague.
He added that his and Kosovo's only opponent was Slobodan Milosevic, who planned genocide in Kosovo, while emphasizing that Albanians did not exercise power and that his claim is paradoxical.
"My only opponent, the people of Kosovo and the democratic world, was Slobodan Milosevic . It is hard to hear this accusation, especially when during the war I did not know if I would be alive from hour to hour and day to day. I was not sure if I would see my family. Let alone dreaming of exercising control in Kosovo occupied for almost 90 years. The fact that I am alive today is a coincidence and a blessing. I did not come back to risk my life for control and power, I came back risking my life for freedom and peace. The question that arises is, taking control from whom? Who??
The truth is that control and power were in the iron hands of Milosevic. The Albanians did not exercise power, it is paradoxical. They were oppressed by Milosevic. I had no illusions, but our only hope for salvation was the democratic world, the USA and NATO. My entire focus was on building and strengthening this alliance. For this purpose I traveled to many cities to convince them of our cause, Brussels, London, Berlin and other places.
"Wherever I was, I was in constant contact with officials of the American Administration. Milosevic had started the war and we were only defending ourselves. Only NATO could end the war and that's what happened. If it weren't for NATO's intervention, there would be no independence for Kosovo," said Thaçi.