HC Deb 16 February 1999 vol 325 cc754-5W
Mr. Wareing

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the numbers of Serbs displaced from their homes in Krajina; how many have since been permitted to return; what representations he has made to the Croatian authorities about the problem; and if he will make a statement. [71321]

Mr. Tony Lloyd

We receive regular reports on the refugee situation in the former Yugoslavia from organisations such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Community Monitoring Mission (ECMM).

According to UNHCR figures, there remain 220,000 Croatian Serb refugees outside Croatia. There are also some 8,000 Serb refugees in the Creation region of Eastern Slavonia who were displaced from their homes. Up until 4 February 1999, 28,000 Croatian Serb refugees are reported to have returned to Croatia.

We take every opportunity to impress on the states of the former Yugoslavia the importance we place on refugee return. I most recently raised this issue with the Croatian Assistant Foreign Minister when he called on me in London on 8 February.

Mr. Wareing

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received in respect of the massacre at Bosanski Brod in 1992; if any persons have been indicted and brought before The Hague International War Crimes Tribunal for their involvement; and if he will make a statement. [71322]

Mr. Tony Lloyd

We have received no recent reports in respect of a massacre at Bosanski Brod in 1992 and are not aware of any indictments released by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia relating to such a massacre. However, the destruction of property in Bosanski Brod in 1992 is mentioned briefly in an indictment against Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. It is open to ICTY to issue further indictments if it has sufficient evidence to prosecute individuals suspected of war crimes anywhere in the territory of the Former Yugoslavia.