Kosovo (Hansard, 22 June 1999)

§ 24. Mr. Nicholas Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Kosovo. [86599]

§ Mr. Robin Cook
KFOR initial deployments are complete. There are now about 19,000 KFOR forces in Kosovo. The Serbs have complied with the Military Technical Agreement and all Yugoslav and Serb forces have now withdrawn from Kosovo. Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Interim Special Representative in Kosovo, is now in Pristina and is developing arrangements for the interim civilian administration. According to UNHCR, 73,500 refugees returned to Kosovo last week from Albania and Macedonia.
However, there is still much to be done to ensure a secure environment in Kosovo and to help returning refugees and internally displaced people to rebuild their lives. Britain will continue to take a leading role in these efforts.

§ 28. Mr. Geraint Davies
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to meet the US Secretary of State to discuss developments in Kosovo. [86604]

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is and will remain in very regular contact with the US Secretary of State, Mrs. Madeleine Albright, about Kosovo.

§ 29. Mr. Martin Bell
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for refugees from Kosovo being able to return to their homes. [86605]
356W

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
An estimated 140,000 refugees have returned spontaneously to Kosovo from Albania and Macedonia to date and the flow of refugees back to Kosovo continues. The UNHCR will shortly begin a programme of organised returns, once they are sure that the areas to which the refugees are returning are safe. Her Majesty's Government will continue to work closely with the relief agencies to assist the return process.

§ Mr. Robert Jackson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to protect the historic Serb religious and cultural sites in Kosovo. [87254]

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
UN Security Council Resolution 1244 provides that after the withdrawal of Yugoslav and Serb forces from Kosovo, an agreed number of Yugoslav and Serb military and police personnel will be permitted to return to Kosovo to perform certain functions. These functions include maintaining a presence at Serb historic, religious and cultural sites.
More generally, KFOR has been tasked with establishing a secure environment throughout Kosovo.