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CSCE NEWS RELEASE
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
234 Ford House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-6460
(202) 225-1901
www.house.gov/csce/
Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Co-Chairman
 

Commission Leadership Asks Albright: "What are you doing to protect Kosovar
Roma?"

For Immediate Release
July 15, 1999
Contact :Chadwick R. Gore
(202) 225-1901

        Washington, DC-In a July 14th letter signed by the full leadership of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright was asked, "what measures  [are] the Department taking to ensure the safety [of Roma] in Kosovo, in refugee camps, and in so-called third countries.  In addition, we would like to know if any provisions have been made to bring Roma to the United States under the special provisions established to accept Kosovar refugees who are currently in Macedonia." This letter was prompted by reports that Kosovar Roma are being turned away from refugee camps run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees because aid officials "say the Roma can not be protected from possible revenge attacks from ethnic Albanians from Kosovo."

        The letter was signed by Commission Chairman Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chairman Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), and Ranking Members Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD).

        The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Secretary Albright:

        We write today to share our concern regarding the vulnerable Romani minority of Kosovo, and to ask what measures the Department is seeking to ensure their safety during this period of refugee resettlement.

        In the last census taken in Kosovo (1981), there were 34,000 people (out of approximately 2 million) who identified themselves as Roma, although the actual number of Roma was probably higher.  By April 16 of this year, Sonja Licht of the Fund for an Open Society-Yugoslavia had stated that 20,000 Roma from Kosovo had already fled their homes.

        Since then, the plight of the Kosovar Roma has worsened.  Roma who have arrived in Macedonia have been turned away from camps run by the UNHCR because aid officials say the Roma can not be protected from possible revenge attacks from ethnic Albanians from Kosovo.  The June 6 attack in the Stenkovec refugee camp illustrates how very real and legitimate this concern is; we commend Ambassador Chris Hill for his courage in helping to defuse that crisis.

        There are also reports that Serbian officials have separated Roma from Serbs fleeing Kosovo and forced the Roma to return.  Disturbing press reports over the past few weeks suggest that revenge attacks against Roma, as well as Serbs, have increased in Kosovo.  While we oppose violent acts of revenge even against Roma who may have collaborated with Serbian forces, we are appalled at the apparent casting of collective guilt on the entire Romani population by returning Kosovar Albanians.

        Some Roma have made it into nearby countries that would be normally considered "safe," such as Hungary.  But during calendar year 1998, 146 Hungarian Roma had been granted refugee status in Canada, with 711 cases still pending at the end of the year.  If Hungary cannot protect its own Romani minority, how much protection can the new arrivals of Roma from Kosovo reasonably expect in Budapest?  The situation for Roma in Hungary is, of course, a pattern throughout most of Europe.  On June 21, for example, The London Independent reported that an angry mob attacked a camp of 1,000 Roma in Naples, torching their caravans in an act of revenge against an alleged infraction by a Rom from Serbia.

        Madam Secretary, in light of the particularly vulnerable position of Romani refugees from Kosovo, we would like to know what measures the Department is taking to ensure their safety in Kosovo, in refugee camps, and in so-called "third" countries.  In addition, we would like to know if any provisions have been made to bring Roma to the United States under the special provisions established to accept Kosovar refugees who are currently in Macedonia.

Sincerely,

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, U.S.S                  CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, M.C.
Co-Chairman                                                     Chairman
 

FRANK LAUTENBERG, U.S.S.                                STENY H. HOYER, M.C.
Ranking Member                                          Ranking Member

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Chadwick R. Gore
Communications Director
U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
234 Ford House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-6064
Chadwick.Gore@mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/csce/
(202) 225-1901; fax (202) 225-4394

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