A serious statement by the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government in the Government of Serbia, Snezhana Paunovic, has caused strong reactions, after she publicly declared that, if she had had the freedom of action that former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic had, she would have "ethnically cleansed Kosovo."
During an interview given to the Serbian media outlet Kurir, the minister in Aleksandar Vučić's government said: " For our shortcomings and stupidity, if I had been free like Milošević, I would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo in 1998. "
The statement has caused widespread reactions, as it uses the term "ethnic cleansing" for a period during which Serbian forces committed serious crimes against the Albanian population in Kosovo.
During the 1998–1999 war, Serbian forces committed murders, massacres, and mass expulsions of Kosovo Albanians. Over a million Albanian civilians were forcibly expelled from their homes, while thousands more were killed or remain missing.
The minister's statement has been widely shared on social media, prompting reactions and criticism for the language used and the positive reference to the policies of Milosevic, who was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Kjo asht MIKESHA edvin QENrames dhe e a.Vucukut.
Mos u merzit i thoni, se ate qe se bete dot ne osove me force, po e beni me sukses ne Shqiperi me mend. Beji te fal vllait ti shefit ne Tirane, dhe agjentit Bisturia.
Uns, fatkeqesisht ashtu eshte. Kosovaret bejne min 5 femije per koke dhe nuk arrin dot njeri ti spastroje. "Divide et impera" e filloi turku ne Shqiperi , e rilindi komunizmi me luften e klasave dhe e perforcuan e modernizuan gjate tranzicionit.... duke I shtuar edhe shpopullim, boshllek kulturor e shpirteror, sjellje te aziatikeve dhe afrikaneve... Kjo politike e shnderroi Shqiperine ne "Kullen e Babelit, me shpresen Per ta ndershkuar perseri nga Zoti. Jo me kot, ndertojne pa pushim kulla te sterlarta.. jo me kot.
Nofka "L", Gjuha qe perdor ti eshte fjuhe shkjau, edhe shkijet ashtu flasin nga deshprimi. Shqiptaret kane natalitwtin aq sa ju do qejfi. Nuk e përcakton kete deshprimi i shijeve sikur ti.