EU condemns Serbian minister's comments on Kosovo

The European Union condemned comments by Serbian Public Administration Minister Snezana Paunovic after she said she would have carried out ethnic cleansing in Kosovo if she had been in power during the 1998-1999 war.

Paunovic, who was born in Kosovo, made the remarks to Serbian television station Kurir over the weekend. She said that, if she had been in the position of Slobodan Milosevic during the conflict, she would have stripped Kosovo of Albanians. She said this would not have meant killing them, but making anyone who felt less like a citizen leave for what she called their homeland.

Asked about the comments, EU spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said there was no place in Europe for rhetoric that justifies or advocates ethnic cleansing. She said such statements went against values including human dignity, reconciliation and accountability.

The remarks prompted opposition parties in Serbia to call for Paunovic's resignation. Paunovic did not withdraw the comments on Tuesday. She said she did not renounce the policy of the Serbian Socialist Party, which was founded by Milosevic, and said the party had led Serbia through difficult historical circumstances and made great sacrifices.

Kosovo declared Paunovic persona non grata and imposed a permanent ban on her entering or transiting the country. Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said in a Facebook post that her public statements threatened the country by inciting hate speech and destabilisation.

Kosovo Labour Minister Andin Hoti also condemned the remarks, calling them proof that Serbia had not moved on from Milosevic's ideology and policies.

Tensions have remained high between Pristina and Belgrade since the Kosovo war, which killed about 13,000 people. Serbia does not recognise the independence of Kosovo, its former territory. After Milosevic was overthrown, he was arrested and charged with crimes against humanity committed during the war, but he died while his trial was still underway before an international court in The Hague.