§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from his Yugoslav counterpart that the new administration in Belgrade will co-operate with the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. [141396]
§ Mr. HainThe Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are in no doubt about their international obligation to co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Contacts between ICTY and the Government in Belgrade are ongoing. In particular, the FRY Government have now agreed to the re-opening of the ICTY Liaison office in Belgrade.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the security situation in Presevo Valley. [141399]
§ Mr. VazThe activities of armed ethnic Albanian extremists in the Presevo Valley area of southern Serbia continue to be a matter of concern to the international community, as well as to the Serbian and Yugoslav authorities. We welcome the constructive dialogue between the Yugoslav authorities and KFOR/NATO on this issue, and are pleased that this has helped to lower tensions. A lasting resolution to the current situation can only be found through dialogue involving the local communities, not through confrontation or violence.
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§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the results of the Bosnia-Herzegovina general elections. [141398]
§ Mr. VazBosnia and Herzegovina held general elections under OSCE supervision on 11 November. Voters chose between 44 political parties and 6,000 candidates for six levels of Government. The OSCE released final verified results on 27 November. In the State-level Parliamentary Assembly and the Federation House of Representatives, moderate parties won a slim majority of seats. In Republika Srpska, candidates for the nationalist Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) won the Presidency and the Vice-presidency and emerged as the largest single party in the Republika Srpska National Assembly, with 31 of the 82 seats.
Although it will take several months for coalition Governments to emerge in the Federation, Republika Srpska or in the State-level Parliamentary Assembly, both the war-time nationalist and moderate parties are claiming victory. Nationalists point to the increased SDS vote and the relative success of the HDZ and the SDA. In fact, the results confirmed the progressive trend (seen in every election since Dayton) way from the nationalist parties. Thus for the first time since Dayton, the nationalist parties failed to secure a majority at either Entity or State level.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Yugoslav counterpart on securing the release of the Kosovo Albanian prisoners detained in Serbia. [141397]
§ Mr. VazWe have repeatedly made clear the importance we attach to the rapid resolution of this issue. In a statement on 1 November, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary welcomed the release of Dr. Flora Brovina, who had been illegally detained by the Milosevic regime, and urged President Kostunica to release the other Kosovo Albanian prisoners detained in similar circumstances. We have re-emphasised this point in discussions through our Embassy in Belgrade.
§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Yugoslav Government's demands that the Kumanavo agreement be renegotiated; and if he will make a statement. [141400]
§ Mr. VazPresident Kostunica confirmed publicly on 3 December that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia will respect both the Kumanavo Military Technical Agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 1244. We welcome the ongoing dialogue between KFOR/NATO and Yugoslav authorities on developments in the Presevo valley. A lasting solution in this area can be found only through dialogue.