Hashim Thaçi
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| Hashim Thaçi | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 January 2008 |
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| President | Fatmir Sejdiu |
| Deputy | Hajredin Kuçi Ramë Manaj |
| Preceded by | Agim Çeku |
| In office 02 April 1999 – 01 February 2000 |
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| President | Ibrahim Rugova |
| Preceded by | Bujar Bukoshi |
| Succeeded by | Nexhat Daci |
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| Born | 24 April 1968 Srbica, SAP Kosovo, Socialist Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia |
| Political party | PDK |
Hashim Thaçi (Albanian: Hashim Thaçi; Serbo-Croat: Хашим Тачи / Hašim Tači; Also spelled Hashim Thaci, Thaqi; in English-language media)listen born 24 April 1968 in Srbica, Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (the area now Kosovo), Yugoslavia, is the Prime Minister of Kosovo, the President of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and former political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
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[edit] Early life and education
Thaçi was born in Buroja in the municipality of Srbica[citation needed], in the Kosovo province of the Serbian Republic within Yugoslavia.
He studied philosophy and history at the University of Priština. During his university years, he was an Albanian student leader and the first student president of the parallel Albanian University of Prishtina that broke off in 1989 (and organised in the early 1990s) from the official University due to Kosovar Albanians' protest of Slobodan Milošević's new imposed status of Kosovo and Metohija.
By 1993, Thaçi joined the Albanian political emigration in Switzerland, where he pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Zurich in the history and international relations departments. There he became one of the founders of the People's Movement of Kosovo (LPK), a Marxist-Leninist[1][2] political party devoted to Albanian popular nationalism.
[edit] Role in KLA
In 1993, Thaçi became a member of the inner circle of the KLA. Thaçi (nom de guerre "Gjarpëri" [the Snake]) was responsible for securing financial means, training and armament of recruits, teaching them in Albania under the auspices of its government, to be dispatched to Kosovo.[citation needed] In 1997, Thaçi was tried in absentia and convicted by the Serbian authorities in Priština for acts of terrorism associated with his activities in the KLA.[3] March 1999, Thaçi participated in the Rambouillet negotiations as the leader of the Kosovar Albanian team.[4] Thaçi was perceived by western diplomats during the negotiations as the "voice of reason" within the KLA: his attendance at the negotiations demonstrated a willingness to accept autonomy for Kosovo within Serbia at a time when other rebel leaders rejected any solution short of full national independence.[5] Thaçi emerged from the final diplomatic settlement as the leader of the strongest faction within a KLA rife with factionalism. He moved quickly to consolidate power, unilaterally naming himself prime minister within a provisional government and allegedly ordering the assassination of the leaders of rival armed factions.[6][7]
[edit] Criminal Activities
Thaci is alleged to have extensive criminal links. During the period of time when Thaci was head of the Kosovo Liberation Army, it was reported by the Washington Times to be financing its activities by trafficking heroin and cocaine into western Europe.[8] While the KLA was officially disbanded at the end of armed conflict in Kosovo in 1999, the new Kosovo Protection Force was composed primarily of former KLA fighters and the Democratic Party of Kosovo was formed largely from the political leadership of the KLA. A near monopoly on the means of force based on the absorption of the KLA into the KPF allowed the Democratic Party of Kosovo to seize near complete control of the machinery of government at the municipal level.[9] The Democratic Party of Kosovo has regularly employed violence and intimidation of political rivals to maintain local political control and protect criminal enterprises which depend upon cooperation from friendly local authorities.[10] Thaçi in particular is seen as being central to the criminal activities of the Kosovo Protection Force, who were reportedly extorting money from businessmen under the guise of "taxes" for Thaçi's self appointed government.[11] The fact that the Democratic Party of Kosovo was seen as both corrupt and criminal lead directly to the electoral defeat of the DPK in the first free elections in the province in 2001. The BBC stated at the time, " The tumbling reputation of the former KLA was to have a disastrous effect on the PDK because of the perceived overlap between its political leadership and post-KLA organised crime."[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Kosovo: Background to crisis, Jane's (March 1999)
- ^ Mark Almond, Our Gang - Kosovo Liberation Army, National Review, July 26, 1999
- ^ Hashim Thaci or When the Little Red-Cap’s Wolf is Tamed
- ^ Ethnic Albanian Guerrillas Will Attend Talks on Kosovo - New York Times
- ^ Ethnic Albanian Guerrillas Will Attend Talks on Kosovo - New York Times
- ^ CRISIS IN THE BALKANS: THE GUERRILLAS; Kosovo Rebel Force Will Be Serbian Province's New Power Broker - New York Times
- ^ CRISIS IN THE BALKANS: THE SEPARATISTS; Leaders of Kosovo Rebels Tied to Deadly Power Play - New York Times
- ^ "KLA finances fight with heroin sales Terror group is linked to crime network"; Jerry Seper. Washington Times. Washington, D.C.: May 3, 1999. pg. A.1
- ^ BBC News | EUROPE | Kosovo gripped by racketeers
- ^ Political violence in run-up to Kosovo vote | csmonitor.com
- ^ BBC News | EUROPE | Kosovo gripped by racketeers
- ^ BBC News | EUROPE | Analysis: Kosovo chooses normality
[edit] External links
- PDK Partia Demokratike e Kosovës (in Albanian)
- Kryetari Thaçi: Populli i Kosovës dhe UÇK-ja ishin një A Thaçi interview by "Kosova Sot" daily (in Albanian)
- Hashim Thaci or When the Little Red-Cap’s Wolf is Tamed Article about Hashim Thaçi from "Axis Globe" by Can Karpat, AIA Balkanian Section (04/01/2006)
- Thaçi comments on the future of Kosovo at United States Institute of Peace
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Agim Çeku |
Prime Minister of Kosovo 2008 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Bujar Bukoshi |
Prime Minister of Kosovo 1999 – 2000 |
Succeeded by Nexhat Daci |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bajram Rexhepi |
President of Democratic Party of Kosovo 2004 – present |
Incumbent |
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