German Roma council appeals Kosovo repatriation plans

Oct 19, 2009, 16:16 GMT

   Berlin - The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma appealed Monday for Germany not to repatriate ethnic minorities to Kosovo, saying that ethnic Roma were still being targeted in the region.

Last week, the German interior ministry confirmed plans for up to 14,000 refugees to be returned to the region, ten years after the end of the Kosovo War.

The ministry said a deal was due to be signed in coming weeks between Berlin and Pristina stipulating the return of refugees, of whom 10,000 are of Roma ethnicity.

The council expressed fears that this wave of repatriations could lead to 'new, fierce tensions between minorities and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.'

It would be particularly difficult for children born in Germany, who spoke neither Albanian nor Serbian, the council added.

   The German government said ethnically-motivated violence had declined significantly in Kosovo, and that the planned repatriation was in line with international standards on conditions of asylum.

The Council of Sinti and Roma called for Germany to cancel the agreement with Kosovo and grant permanent right of residence to those who had been in the country for more than ten years.