§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the(a) Kosovo Albanians and (b) Serbs reported murdered between KFOR's deployment on 12 June and mid-October are believed to be murdered by (i) Kosovo Albanians, (ii) Kosovo Serbs and (iii) others. [101415]
§ Mr. Vaz[holding answer 7 December 1999]There are no statistics available giving the ethnic background of the persons responsible for the reported murders of Kosovo Albanians and Serbs since KFOR's deployment on 12 June.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action KFOR is taking in Kosovo to prevent ethnic cleansing of Serbs and the destruction of their monasteries. [99857]
§ Mr. Vaz[holding answer 7 December 1999]Protection of the Kosovo Serbs and other minorities is a top priority for KFOR and UNMIK. KFOR devotes around half of its resources at present to maintaining a presence in minority areas. In the UK-led sector, there are KFOR soldiers present in every Serb town or village, as well as soldiers deployed to protect individual homes and farms. KFOR conducts patrols and escorts individuals to school and to work.
Protection of patrimonial sites (monasteries, cathedrals and Orthodox churches) is also a priority. In the British sector alone almost 300 troops are on permanent guard of 35 churches and other patrimonial sites.