§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many(a) Kosovar Serbs and (b) members of other ethnic groups have left Kosovo since the KFOR Occupation. [92721]
§ Mr. Tony LloydUNHCR estimate that about 170,000 Kosovar Serbs have left Kosovo. An unspecified number of Roma gypsies have also left Kosovo. There is no further breakdown of figures available. KFOR are committed to the protection of everyone in Kosovo whatever their ethnicity.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Operation Horseshoe in Kosovo. [91762]
§ Mr. Tony LloydIn summer 1998, Belgrade's security forces drove at least 250,000 Kosovar Albanians from their homes and destroyed villages and crops. During the winter of 1998–99, we had information that the Serbs planned to destroy all those who they regarded as the KLA. The Racak massacre of 15 January (over 40 killed) was a reminder of Serb brutality.
Before NATO started bombing on 24 March, the Serbs had already destroyed villages and expelled the inhabitants. There were strong grounds for expecting that Milosevic was embarking on a renewed campaign of civilian casualties, with the destruction of villages and displacement of inhabitants on a scale at least as great as in 1998.