Kosovo driving out minorities - report

Meanwhile, Kosovo's Albanian-led government is being accused of, in effect, driving out a whole host of minority groups – that is the conclusion of a new report by the Minority Rights Group International (MGI).

MGI says that 'lack of will' among Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership to crackdown on discrimination against non-Serbian minority groups in Kosovo is prompting them to leave the state for good. The ethnic groups affected include: Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Turks, Croats, Roma (Gypsies), Ashkali, Egyptians, and Gorani - a collection of minorities who make up about 5% of Kosovo's population. Ethnic Serbs make up about another 10%, with the remaining majority of Kosovars being ethnic Albanians.

The report says that the minority groups are poorly treated by the Kosovar Albanian majority and that the government is reluctant to enforce existing anti-discrimination laws because of the perception that these groups sided with Serbia during the civil war in Kosovo. MGI also blasts the international community for only focusing on the Serbs when discussing minority rights in Kosovo.