Once again this year, the commemoration of the Racak anniversary did not pass without the presence of William Walker, former head of the OSCE Verification Mission— the man who, on the very day when 45 Albanians were killed, on 15 January 1999, declared that it was a massacre carried out by Yugoslav forces against Albanian civilians. His claim would later become the basis for the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia a few months afterward. For this reason, he is warmly welcomed in Kosovo, regarded as a sincere friend, and credited with being owed eternal gratitude.