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UÇKHistory and Memory

22–23 February 1998 · 1998

Robert Gelbard's statements on the UÇK

US Special Representative Robert Gelbard publicly called the UÇK a terrorist group, first at a press conference in Prishtina on 22 February 1998 and again in Belgrade on 23 February.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.The 1998–1999 warDiplomacy

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

Key facts

Date
22–23 February 1998
Place
Prishtina
Coordinates
Municipality level (approximate)
Sources
3
Evidence status
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.

State Department transcripts show that Gelbard attributed “the great majority” of the violence to the police while at the same time calling the UÇK a terrorist group by its actions [1] [2].

According to HRW, Gelbard later retracted the allegation and the group was never placed on the US list of terrorist organisations; at the time some analysts read the statements as a “green light” for a counter-insurgency campaign. The attack on Likoshan and Qirez came five days later [3].

How do we know this?

Sources

  1. [1]U.S. Department of State. Press Conference: Robert S. Gelbard, Special Representative, Pristina, 22 February 1998. 1998-02-22. https://1997-2001.state.gov/policy_remarks/1998/980222_gelbard_pristina.html. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. [2]U.S. Department of State. Press Conference: Robert S. Gelbard, Special Representative, Belgrade, 23 February 1998. 1998-02-23. https://1997-2001.state.gov/policy_remarks/1998/980223_gelbard_belgrade.html. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. [3]Fred Abrahams, Benjamin Ward. Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo. 2001-10-26. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/kosovo/. Accessed 2026-09-16.

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