Kouchner: I knew nothing about organ trade

First UNMIK Chief and Former French FM Bernard Kouchner says he did not know about the illegal human organ trade. “I am skeptical about Dick Marty’s report,” he told BBC. Kouchner: I knew nothing about organ trade In its initial reaction to the CoE investigator’s report, the British Foreign Ministry announced that such allegations always needed to be taken seriously. The British government has called upon Marty to provide all the evidence to the competent authorities in order to conduct a complete investigation. Great Britain encourages Kosovo government to support and facilitate the investigation, the announcement adds. None of the participants of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday wanted to comment on the CoE investigator’s report. Kouchner told BBC that he was skeptical about Marty’s allegations about the human organ trade and that a full international investigation should be launched. “My first reaction, and I read the report very carefully, is that I’m very skeptical about those accusations of the organ trade. My second reaction is to have somebody investigate this, conduct a real investigation. Those are my two reactions,” he was quoted as saying. When asked who should, in his opinion, conduct the investigation considering that the Hague Tribunal could not raise indictments anymore, the former UNMIK chief said: “That’ a good question. But there’s EULEX, They should lead the international investigation. EULEX is made of people from all 27 EU countries. There are enough of them. Judges and prosecutors are working in EULEX. That’s precisely why EULEX exists.” Commenting on Marty’s accusations that numerous western intelligence services and officials knew about the crimes, Kouchner said they were not true. “No, that’s not true. We didn’t know anything. If we had known we would have sent people to investigate and determine the facts, of course. There is a misunderstanding in the whole report. Organized crime certainly exists. I don’t know who heads it. But we’ve certainly heard of organized crime. However, we never heard of the organ trade during the time I was in Kosovo, and that’s from 1999 until 2001. The first time I heard of it was when Carla Del Ponte published her book. And I was very surprised,” he explained. The former French FM has denied Marty’s claims that he and other representatives of the international community basically made a deal with the extremist Kosovo Albanians that they would not cause violence if the international community turned a blind eye to what they were doing. “Turned a blind eye…Poor man. We fought both against organized crime and non-organized crime. We also fought against violence and killings night and day. We worked in order to satisfy the justice. That was the goal of the international intervention. This claim is not true. But I do not have to defend myself. Who is this man? I don’t know this person. He is from the Council of Europe and we have to respect him. I respect him and I read the report very carefully, but I’m very skeptical. I have to say that did not see this person in Kosovo at the time,” he pointed out. Kouchner very carefully answered what he thought about Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not making a judgment on Mr. Thaci. I am talking about the report. Mr. Thaci is currently the prime minister of Kosovo and he’s communicating with President Tadic. I respect both of them. Negotiations are very important. And that’s what I care about, to accomplish peace in the region in which we from the international community have invested a lot, not only money but people too,” he noted. The former UNMIK chief thinks that the western leaders will not be uncomfortable to meet with Thaci in the future. “Absolutely not. That’s not an obstacle. Even President Tadic said that he was ready to meet Mr. Thaci until these accusations were proven. And I thank him for that“. The CoE investigator claims in his report that it is very difficult to conduct the investigation because the people who know something are intimidated by the murder of several persons who were supposed to testify before the Hague Tribunal. “I'm not an investigator, I'm a peacemaker. I have to say that I did not see that there were such threats. People contacted me and talked to our international prosecutors. We had trials and verdicts and so on. We did the best we could,“ Kouchner pointed out. He says that, unlike Marty, he did not see any indication that a mafia organization, which is allegedly killing everybody who is ready to speak about its activities, exists in Kosovo. “I don't know, let him say so. He conducted the investigation and wrote the report. But I have to say that evidence from three locations he was at are not very convincing,“ the former UNMIK head noted. He also denied he was laughing when he was asked about the organ trade by a Serbian reporter during his visit to Kosovo earlier this year. “I wasn't laughing because I take this very seriously. Please don't turn this into my trial. I don't know. I was cooperating with Rada Trajkovic. She was very brave at the time and she is still brave. You asked me about the report and I answered you. Firstly, I am skeptical and secondly, investigation should be conducted,“ Kouchner concluded. Bernard Kouchner

Kouchner: I knew nothing about organ trade

In its initial reaction to the CoE investigator’s report, the British Foreign Ministry announced that such allegations always needed to be taken seriously.

The British government has called upon Marty to provide all the evidence to the competent authorities in order to conduct a complete investigation.

Great Britain encourages Kosovo government to support and facilitate the investigation, the announcement adds.

None of the participants of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday wanted to comment on the CoE investigator’s report.

Kouchner told BBC that he was skeptical about Marty’s allegations about the human organ trade and that a full international investigation should be launched.

“My first reaction, and I read the report very carefully, is that I’m very skeptical about those accusations of the organ trade. My second reaction is to have somebody investigate this, conduct a real investigation. Those are my two reactions,” he was quoted as saying.

When asked who should, in his opinion, conduct the investigation considering that the Hague Tribunal could not raise indictments anymore, the former UNMIK chief said: “That’ a good question. But there’s EULEX, They should lead the international investigation. EULEX is made of people from all 27 EU countries. There are enough of them. Judges and prosecutors are working in EULEX. That’s precisely why EULEX exists.”

Commenting on Marty’s accusations that numerous western intelligence services and officials knew about the crimes, Kouchner said they were not true.

“No, that’s not true. We didn’t know anything. If we had known we would have sent people to investigate and determine the facts, of course. There is a misunderstanding in the whole report. Organized crime certainly exists. I don’t know who heads it. But we’ve certainly heard of organized crime. However, we never heard of the organ trade during the time I was in Kosovo, and that’s from 1999 until 2001. The first time I heard of it was when Carla Del Ponte published her book. And I was very surprised,” he explained.

The former French FM has denied Marty’s claims that he and other representatives of the international community basically made a deal with the extremist Kosovo Albanians that they would not cause violence if the international community turned a blind eye to what they were doing.

“Turned a blind eye…Poor man. We fought both against organized crime and non-organized crime. We also fought against violence and killings night and day. We worked in order to satisfy the justice. That was the goal of the international intervention. This claim is not true. But I do not have to defend myself. Who is this man? I don’t know this person. He is from the Council of Europe and we have to respect him. I respect him and I read the report very carefully, but I’m very skeptical. I have to say that did not see this person in Kosovo at the time,” he pointed out.

Kouchner very carefully answered what he thought about Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not making a judgment on Mr. Thaci. I am talking about the report. Mr. Thaci is currently the prime minister of Kosovo and he’s communicating with President Tadić. I respect both of them. Negotiations are very important. And that’s what I care about, to accomplish peace in the region in which we from the international community have invested a lot, not only money but people too,” he noted.

The former UNMIK chief thinks that the western leaders will not be uncomfortable to meet with Thaci in the future.

“Absolutely not. That’s not an obstacle. Even President Tadić said that he was ready to meet Mr. Thaci until these accusations were proven. And I thank him for that“.

The CoE investigator claims in his report that it is very difficult to conduct the investigation because the people who know something are intimidated by the murder of several persons who were supposed to testify before the Hague Tribunal.

“I'm not an investigator, I'm a peacemaker. I have to say that I did not see that there were such threats. People contacted me and talked to our international prosecutors. We had trials and verdicts and so on. We did the best we could,“ Kouchner pointed out.

He says that, unlike Marty, he did not see any indication that a mafia organization, which is allegedly killing everybody who is ready to speak about its activities, exists in Kosovo.

“I don't know, let him say so. He conducted the investigation and wrote the report. But I have to say that evidence from three locations he was at are not very convincing,“ the former UNMIK head noted.

He also denied he was laughing when he was asked about the organ trade by a Serbian reporter during his visit to Kosovo earlier this year.

“I wasn't laughing because I take this very seriously. Please don't turn this into my trial. I don't know. I was cooperating with Rada Trajković. She was very brave at the time and she is still brave. You asked me about the report and I answered you. Firstly, I am skeptical and secondly, investigation should be conducted,“ Kouchner concluded.