Brussels warns Serbia over cleansing comments

The European Union has condemned a Serbian minister after she claimed she would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo in 1998.

Government official Snežana Paunović told local television that if she had led the country during the war, she would have expelled the entire Albanian population.

The European Commission warned that such remarks violate basic human dignity and damage Belgrade's pledges to build regional peace.

Despite the international backlash, senior Serbian leaders defended the minister and refused to apologize for the comments.