Serbian Minister's Ethnic Cleansing Remarks Spark Kosovo Crisis

Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović, a senior figure in the Socialist Party of Serbia, sparked outrage by stating in a television interview that she would have 'ethnically cleansed' Kosovo in 1998 if she had been Slobodan Milošević. She later clarified she meant expelling Albanians who did not feel loyal to Yugoslavia and 'eliminating' Kosovo Liberation Army members as terrorists. Kosovo's interior minister declared her permanently unwelcome. The incident highlights that Belgrade has not abandoned Milošević-era narratives about Kosovo, but merely softened its rhetoric for Brussels. The 1998-1999 Kosovo war killed over 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians. EU and Kosovan officials condemned the remarks as promoting genocidal ideas.