Hoxhaj reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the Special Court: Had Kosovo not created it, the UN would have established it with Russia’s and China’s support

Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo’s former foreign minister, has spoken about the developments behind the establishment of the Special Court, international pressure on Kosovo’s institutions, and the fierce clashes within the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Kosovo government.

According to him, after Dick Marty’s report was published, the country’s institutions had discussed the possibility of filing a lawsuit against its author. Initially, international partners had advised that the document should not be treated as something serious.

Hoxhaj said that news of Dick Marty’s report had first appeared in The Guardian and that a meeting with Prime Minister Thaçi had been held that same day. The initial reaction, he said, was that Marty should be brought before the courts. Meanwhile, the American and European ambassadors, as well as the QUINT countries, had assessed that Kosovo should not attach importance to the report.

He described the publication of Clint Williamson’s report as the second major blow to Kosovo. According to Hoxhaj, Williamson claimed in an eight-page document that the allegations raised by Dick Marty stood.

Speaking about pressure from abroad, the former minister said that international representatives had initially argued why the Special Court should be established, and had then moved to exerting direct pressure on Kosovo’s institutions.

According to the explanation given at the time, Dick Marty’s report had created “dark clouds” over Kosovo that needed to be removed because they were harming the country. Hoxhaj said the international warning had been clear: if the court was not established by Kosovo’s institutions, the UN would create it.

He stressed that Kosovo had hoped that by establishing a court of its own, it would avoid becoming the victim of a geopolitical trap or ploy. According to him, a UN Security Council decision backed by the votes of Russia and China could have brought staggering consequences for the state of Kosovo.

Hoxhaj was also asked about the opposition that had existed within the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Kosovo government regarding the establishment of the Special Court.

He acknowledged that there had been hesitation, difficult discussions within the parliamentary group and the PDK leadership, as well as major debates and disagreements within the Kosovo government itself.

Hoxhaj said he had opposed Dick Marty’s report with all his political and academic capabilities, essentially describing it as racist. According to him, the way the document portrayed society corresponded to the Serbian concept of Albanian society.

He said that only after the judicial process began in The Hague had it become clear that Dick Marty’s report had not been the real reason for establishing the court, but that the purpose had been entirely political. Hoxhaj warned that this special war against Kosovo would continue and that, if the conviction was upheld on appeal, the objective of the next phase would be the state of Kosovo.