FECL 20 (November 1993):

TEMPORARY HALT OF DEPORTATIONS TO KOSOVO

Switzerland has put a temporary stop on the deportation of rejected Kosovo-Albanian asylum seekers, the Swiss Mlnister of Justice and Police, Amold Koller announced at a press conference on 20 October. The measure was taken in view of a Macedonian decision to suspend an agreement with Switzeriand on the transit of the deportees. Uke Sweden and Norway, Switzerland has, until now, been sending the deportees to the Macedonian capital Skopje by plane, from where they where escorted to Kosovo (see FECL No.l9, p.3).

Minister Kolleremphasised thatthe current'technical problem" had not changed the government's determination to send back refugees to Kosovo and made particular reference to the deportation by Sweden of more than 10,000 Kosovo-Albanians since the beginning of the year.

Switzerland returned 128 persons between 6 July and 20 October.

Koller vehemently rejected Swiss charities' accusations that Switzerland was breaking its tradition of asylum in doing so. Together with Germany. Austria and the Nordic countries, Switzerland had received 90 per cent oft all refugees from former Yugoslavia, the minister said, and underlined that he would not give in to political pressure aiming at the introduction of a temporary stop of deportations to Kosovo.

Koller argued that if the government did so, there would no longer be a valid reason not to introduce similar stops fior other groups of conflict-refugees, as for instance the Kurds. He also announced that the government would seek for other travel routes for Kosovo-Albanian deportees if Macedonia did not soon reactivate the transit agreement.

Meanwhile, Sweden seems to have overcome its transit problem with Macedonia and the massdeportation of rejected asylum seekers has resumed at a rate of 600 persons per week, in spite of warnings of the UNHCR already last June "that 'rf the present pace of returns from Sweden continues, the risk of incidents may increase". The dire human rights situation in Kosovo should "justify toll attention being given to humanitarian considerations, and caution being applied with regard to forcible returns," the UNHCR further said.