Clark's Kosovo: Why he's testifying at the Hague

Kosovar Albanians were watching closely as General Wesley Clark testified against Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Tribunal at the Hague this week. Shpend Ahmeti, a Kosovar graduate student, was particularly interested since he credits Clark with saving his family.

"We thought that the world did not care about us, a small place like Kosovo," the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government student said. "We thought that Kosovo would never be on anyone's map. However, we found out that some people cared about Kosovars who were in trouble. Every Kosovar knows that General Clark was leading that group of people."

In the spring of 1999, Clark was the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. He oversaw the military campaign that resulted in Milosevic's fall from power, saving 1.5 million Kosovar Albanians from ethnic cleansing.

"You could have asked any three-year-old kid in Kosovo in 1999 after NATO troops entered Kosovo about who the most famous people are," Ahmeti said. "They would raise two fingers making the sign of 'v' for victory, shout 'democracy' and 'NATO' and mention the names of Clinton, Albright, but more than anyone, the name of General Wesley Clark."

"You don't appreciate freedom until you are deprived of it," Ahmeti said.

Source: Clark's Kosovo: Why he's testifying at the Hague