Moreover, despite being diagnosed with lung cancer in September, he had elected to stay in office and serve as the head of the Kosovo Albanian negotiating team for talks on resolving the province's final status.
Uprkos tome što je u septembru ustanovljeno da boluje od raka pluća, on je odlučio da ostane na funkciji i bude šef pregovaračkog tima kosovskih Albanaca u razgovorima o rešavanju konačnog statusa pokrajine.