§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his letter of 8 November to the hon. Member for Linlithgow(a) what he has made of the number of refugees made homeless in (i) Kosovo before the ceasefire and (ii) Krajina, (b) what is his latest estimate of the number of mass murders in Kosovo, (c) what he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions in achieving democratic reform in the former Republic of Yugoslavia, (d) what support he has had from the International Committee of the Red Cross for sanctions against Serbia, (e) what requests he has received through international humanitarian organisations for exemptions from sanctions against Serbia and (f) if he will identify the western structures to which he is referring. [98273]
§ The Prime MinisterAlthough reliable figures are hard to establish, reports received from agencies on the ground, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), indicate that approximately 860,000 Kosovar Albanians were made homeless before the ceasefire. Reports also indicate that 330,000 Serb refugees left Krajina, 300,000 of whom are in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and 30,000 are in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Our estimate for the number of murders in Kosovo before KFOR entering remains at 10,000.
Sanctions are a recognised international tool for applying pressure to governments who are operating outside internationally accepted norms. This is one element of the economic and diplomatic pressure against the Milosevic regime which we hope will lead to democratic reform in Serbia. We and the European Union are working to ensure that the sanctions are properly aimed at the Milosevic regime, and not the ordinary people of Serbia. The EU visa ban and assets freeze against key members and supporters of the Milosevic regime are examples of this approach. At the same time we are working with the Serbian democratic opposition, for example on the "Energy for Democracy" Initiative.
The recent 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent called on the Security Council to take into account the needs of the civilian population and apply humanitarian exemptions as appropriate when applying sanctions. We and our EU partners are acting in full accordance with this approach, allowing exceptions to sanctions on humanitarian grounds.
Requests for humanitarian exemptions to the EU oil embargo have been made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and were approved. Exceptions have also been made for various Non-Governmental Organisations involved in de-mining, 786W to allow their military equipment needed for de-mining to enter Kosovo, which remains part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and so is subject to the arms embargo.
"Integration into western structures" refers in particular to the promotion of increasingly closer relations with the EU and NATO.