Kosovo urges stronger EU response to Serbian minister's remarks on ethnic cleansing

Paunovic, a member of Serbia's Socialist Party, told pro-government broadcaster TV Kurir last week that she would have "ethnically cleansed Kosovo" in 1998 had she been in the position of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

The comments triggered widespread condemnation in Serbia after video of the interview spread on social media, with calls for Paunović to resign or be dismissed.

Kosovo declared Paunovic persona non grata on Wednsday, while acting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urging a stronger response, the Kosovo government said on Saturday.

It called on the EU to "clearly and publicly condemn" Paunovic's remarks, make clear to Serbian authorities that such rhetoric was incompatible with European values, and address the issue within Serbia's EU accession process.

"I will not even repeat what she said. It was truly shocking to hear such a statement. I can't imagine that, after such a public statement, a minister could continue performing her duties," EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on Thursday.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Paunovic's remarks did not reflect his views or those of the Serbian government, whose policy was "dialogue, not ethnic cleansing". Paunovic did not retract her comments, saying they had been taken out of context, while apologising to Vucic and the government for the reaction they had caused.

Shaip Kamberi, an ethnic Albanian lawmaker from southern Serbia, said Serbia, as an EU candidate country, was obliged to respect and protect minority rights. Opposition politicians and organisations representing Kosovo Serbs also described Paunovic's remarks as harmful and "a direct threat to the security of Serbs living in Kosovo".

A group of opposition lawmakers has submitted a motion calling on Prime Minister Djuro Macut to dismiss Paunovic, but the government has yet to respond.