Serbian Minister says she would have "ethnically cleansed" Kosovo in 1998

Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović caused a stir with recent comments about Kosovo. She stated she would have "ethnically cleansed" Kosovo in 1998. She clarified this meant asking those who did not feel like citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to leave for their home countries, not through violence. Paunović shared her own experience of leaving Kosovo. She described her family locking up their full apartment and returning years later to find it completely looted, with even pipes and radiators missing. She noted that Serbs are now returning to Kosovo and predicted that the region would "never be ethnically clean." When asked to explain her controversial remarks, Paunović said she would issue an official statement soon. Her public biography shows she was born in Peć in 1975. She is an economist by profession. Paunović has a long political career with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), holding various positions in government and public enterprises. She currently serves as the Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government in the Serbian government.