At least one child was killed for every day of NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia, Belgrade said in casualty figures released on the eve of today's first anniversary of the bombing campaign.
"We stopped our sad count at 79, but it certainly carries a sad symbolism because the bombing lasted 78 days . . . This means one child was killed each day," said Ms Margit Savovic, whose Yugoslav Committee for Co-operation with UNICEF is compiling a list of the dead.
In the first specific count of military casualties, the Yugoslav government also said 1,002 army and police were either known to have died or gone missing. It did not make clear whether this was only during the strikes or before.
"But these children, their deaths, will be the most serious charge against those who led this aggression", Ms Savovic said, of those killed in the bombing. She said restricted access to Kosovo during the air raids meant it was impossible to get an exact figure for the number of dead children. UNICEF said in a report this week that more than 110 children had been killed or injured in Kosovo by landmines and unexploded ordnance since June.
The report said children in Yugoslavia are "the most endangered in Europe, due to both war and sanctions".