President Vjosa Osmani called for unity despite past and present differences in defense of the Kosovo Liberation Army's war.
She said at the ceremony marking the 18th anniversary of Kosovo's independence that political differences "must not be an obstacle to our unity in defense of the liberation war." Thus, she said, "the very existence of the state" is being defended.
Referring to the trial of former KLA leaders at the Special Court in The Hague, Osmani spoke of "attempts to equate our liberation war with the crimes of the genocidal regime of Serbia."
“The KLA is the greatest ideal that Albanians have built over the centuries. It is the heart of our national resistance and the response of an oppressed people to a genocidal regime. This war was always just, always pure, and always necessary. Any attempt to tarnish it, to relativize it or to equate the victim with the aggressor is not only unjust, but also historically untrue and completely unacceptable. The leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are today in The Hague, together with thousands of other fighters and with the unwavering support of the people of Kosovo, stood up for freedom, dignity and the inalienable right to live freely in their homeland. Therefore, any attempt to equate our liberation war with the crimes of the genocidal regime of Serbia not only undermines Serbia, but also severely damages the foundations of long-term peace in our region,” she said.
Osmani said that the KLA is the "strongest pillar" of the state and "cannot be undone by any attempt to rewrite or distort history."
"Today more than ever we have a duty to stand together," she said.
The President mentioned that "at the foundation of our state lies the vision of the historic president, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, the architect of the independence of our Republic."
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