Three years after NATO came to Kosovos rescue, we are one of the worlds newest democracies. Elections in November 2001 have given our country its first Parliament; we are now making our way to independence.
We are the litmus test of the West being able to help deliver lasting peace and democracy to an oppressed people. The success or failure of Kosovo matters not only to us, but also to all the Western countries, which came to our aid and still have troops stationed here as part of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which still effectively governs the country.
The transition from an oppressed people who have suffered under various Serbian regimes throughout the 20th century, with waves of ethnic cleansing which go back to 1912, to a pluralist democracy cannot be easy. Even in very recent history, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has its roots in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA); we have turned swords into ploughshares. Our newly elected Prime Minister, Bajram Rexhepi, who is from the PDK, was a doctor with the KLA during the war and used to heal freedom fighters but he is now determined to heal the country. In his cabinet there are Ministers from the major Albanian parties, the Serb coalition and a representative of the other ethnic minority parties.
We, who have lived without democracy for a lifetime, truly understand its value. So when the terrible attacks of 11 September 2001 took place we instinctively knew which side we were on. The people of Kosovo understood immediately that this was not just a human tragedy but an attack on our core values. We owe our very existence to Western democracies, particularly to the United States and Britain, who fought against the Serbian dictatorship and terror.
There was no vacillation. Ordinary Kosovans took the lead when tens of thousands of them spontaneously took to the streets to hold a candlelit vigil, giving support to the American people and their government. We all understood that the terrorists were a threat not just to the United States but to our freedom as well. We had made a choice that was explicit, unequivocal and determined.
International help, yes; constraints on our freedom, no
Throughout our struggle for independence we have looked to the West. We understand that to achieve a free and democratic Kosovo we also need an active civil society, a free market with privatisation and a sound state administration with accountable, efficient, transparent and empowered institutions.
Our people are still amongst the poorest in Europe; we were always the least developed part of Yugoslavia and the war destroyed our infrastructure. Unemployment is high and the economy is still dependent on international aid and money from Kosovans working abroad.
Much has been repaired and reconstructed, mainly through volunteer effort, but now Kosovo has its own legitimate institutions and these must lead the rest of the reconstruction and development work.
Many lessons have been learnt in Kosovo that can be applied to Afghanistan: for example, the functioning of the rule of law, establishing a civic society, respect for human rights and religious freedom, involvement of women in democratic life, and the fight against organised crime.
The people of Kosovo fully understand that without the intervention of NATO there would be no Kosovo now. We have learnt a great deal from the international community. However, the international community must understand that they cannot preach democracy and knowingly flout the will of the people. Albanian Kosovans, who make up 90% of the population, want to live in an independent republic. This is what we were fighting for throughout the 1990s.
We are willing to wait until we can prove that we can govern. We are willing to wait until we have improved Kosovos economy. We are happy to accept Serbs as full citizens of our country. But we are not willing to compromise.
We shall not accept a federation with Serbia, or any other fudge. We will not go back. We have all suffered too much in our struggle to be a free, democratic and independent state to accept anything less.
We do not claim to make Kosovo a place neither solely for Albanians nor just for Serbs. The concept of democracy and equality for all citizens will prevail here in Kosovo.
