KOSOVO: FORCED OUT FOR FOOD 27 Apr. 99 – Shortage of food in some parts of Kosovo is pushing ethnic Albanians over the border to Macedonia and if they are eventually able to return they will remain dependent on food aid, WFP said yesterday, reports Reuters. "It's not only the fear. Food shortages are pushing people out," said WFP's Lindsay Davis. She said a "shocking picture" was emerging, quoting refugees from around Gnjilane as saying Serb troops were laying siege to towns with shells and grenades, forcing ethnic Albanians into one part and then cutting off food supplies. In a letter to the Financial Times, Prof Michael Doyle and Prof Stephen Holmes of Princeton University, say Slobodan Milosevic's forces have driven Kosovans from their homes and are destroying available food supplies. By selectively closing the borders, he is now holding them hostage and making them vulnerable to disease and starvation in weeks, if not days. Saving the Kosovans now therefore means assisting them to escape. Unless Milosevic is prepared to enact an immediate ceasefire and withdraw his forces from Kosovo, NATO should drop weapons to the Kosovans, mark corridors of exit, and use available airpower and armed helicopters to assist their effort to fight a way out. [U.N. says food shortage pushing Kosovans out – www.reuters.com; Is Nato waiting for the Kosovars to starve to death before it mobilises? – www.ft.com]

KOSOVO: BELGRADE READY FOR DEAL? 27 Apr. 99 – Yugoslavia Deputy Premier Vuk Draskovic said yesterday his government was ready to accept a peace deal calling for a UN presence that could include troops from NATO countries if necessary, reports AP in Belgrade. Draskovic said Sunday that Yugoslavia should accept a UN force in Kosovo and allow the return of ethnic Albanian refugees. Draskovic said he believed he was expressing the views of President Slobodan Milosevic. His comments could represent a major step toward meeting the conditions set down by NATO for ending the air campaign. [Draskovic says Yugoslavia open to foreign peacekeeping troops – www.ap.org]

MACEDONIA: THOUSANDS MORE ARRIVE 27 Apr. 99 – Thousands of Kosovo refugees poured across the border yesterday into Macedonia, heading toward camps already at capacity, reports CNN. "The problem is we have no place to put these people anymore. We have no way to deal with this," said UNHCR spokeswoman Paula Ghedini. "We have the tents. That's not a problem, but we don't have the land to put them up." Ghedini said 3,000 refugees arrived yesterday at Blace on one train and 15 buses. And Macedonian state radio said that up to 30,000 more are headed for the borders. "The whole population of Urosevac and neighbouring villages is moving toward Macedonia," the radio said. Meanwhile Macedonian Economic Minister Zanko Cado resigned yesterday, saying his country wasn't receiving the help it needed to deal with the swelling population. The Financial Times reports the estimated 3,000 ethnic Albanian Kosovars yesterday appeared to signal a new Serb effort to drive ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo after a recent lull. A queue was building up last night as refugees waited to cross the border. Reuters reports lack of space at camps meant around 2,500 more would have to wait until tomorrow to be moved. Local officials said another 800 refugees arrived at an informal crossing at Lojane. AP adds the renewed exodus has aid officials fearing deteriorating health conditions in already overcrowded camps. [New wave of refugees pours into Macedonia – http://cnn.com; Further surge in refugees seen – www.ft.com; Refugees stream to Macedonia – www.reuters.com; New Kosovo refugees heighten fears of health threats in Macedonia – www.ap.org]

MACEDONIA: OVERCROWDING CRISIS 27 Apr. 99 – Macedonia is filled to the brim with the victims of the conflict in Kosovo, according to local officials and Western aid workers, reports the Washington Post. No more refugees can be readily squeezed into tents. No more tents can be squeezed into existing camps. And no more families can be squeezed into homes in the limited regions where the government is allowing the refugees to travel. The crisis might be called the second phase of the disaster: The growing spread of poverty and food shortages caused by the overcrowding of hundreds of villages and towns in the region that lack sufficient resources to support the new arrivals. The effects can be readily observed at camps, such as one outside the town of Brazda, where more than 23,000 people live cheek-by-jowl atop soil that was being readied for spring planting. The impact is more subtle, but still devastating, in cities such as Gostivar, where the residents have opened their arms to more than 20,000 refugees. The problem grows worse by the day. AP reports that for many ethnic Albanian refugees trapped for weeks in police-guarded, fenced-in tent camps, the initial relief over simply having survived is wearing off replaced by fraying nerves and flaring tempers. Meanwhile Liberation reports the Slav population feel that with the influx of ethnic Albanians and the idea of a greater Albania, they are losing control of their destiny. [Poverty Is Refugees' Next Crisis – www.washingtonpost.com; In crowded refugee camps, stress of long-term stays is showing – www.ap.org; Refugees take too much space in Macedonia – www.liberation.fr]

MACEDONIA: CHILDREN LOST 27 Apr. 99 – In the chaotic hours when ethnic Albanians were forced from their Kosovo homes, hundreds of parents and children lost track of one another, reports the New York Times. Some of the children crossed the border alone or with relatives. Others were separated when Macedonian police forced 50,000 Kosovo Albanians out of a makeshift refugee camp three weeks ago. The chaotic nature of the exodus, the actions of the Macedonian government, and a complicated international evacuation programme have made efforts to reunite families particularly daunting. By one count, 253 ethnic Albanian children in Macedonia refugee camps are separated from their parents, the International Committee of the Red Cross says. But 776 parents have reported that their children are missing and are not on the Red Cross lists. Most of the lost children known about are being cared for by relatives. The Red Cross is posting their names in camps, hoping parents or relatives will come forward. So far only 54 children have been reunited with their parents through the efforts of the Red Cross and Save the Children. Aid workers predict parents and children are not likely to be reunited for weeks, possibly months, and countless other relatives are also missing. Elderly and mentally ill people have also been found wandering alone in Brazda refugee camp. [In Macedonia, Lost Children Wait Helplessly for Reunions – www.nytimes.com]

MACEDONIA: 'PROMISES BROKEN' 27 Apr. 99 – Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov accused European countries yesterday of breaking promises to take in Kosovo refugees who have swamped the fragile country in their tens of thousands, reports Reuters. Macedonia was grateful for humanitarian aid but had also asked European and other countries to take in refugees. "This request...has not been met, regretfully, as previously promised,'' said Gligorov. "European countries do have a certain reluctance to take in (refugees)." There are currently more than 135,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo in Macedonia and Western leaders have expressed fears that this could destabilise the ethnically mixed republic. Gligorov praised Germany, Turkey and Norway for taking refugees, adding: "Other countries are not so active." Reuters adds Finance Minister Boris Stojmenov was reported as saying yesterday that Macedonia may need as much as US$250m in new international loans to pay for the upkeep of refugees. [Macedonia complains of broken promises on refugees + Macedonia says may need more loans for refugees – www.reuters.com]

ALBANIA: MORE KOSOVANS, INFLUX FEARED 27 Apr. 99 – A total of 464 Kosovar Albanians arrived yesterday in Albania, including women who claimed to have been molested by Serbian forces, UNHCR said, reports AFP in Kukes. Meanwhile BBC News aid agencies in northern Albania are preparing for a new influx of refugees from Kosovo, as Albanians arrive from the province with grim stories of further atrocities. NATO estimates that more than 500,000 people are displaced inside Kosovo after being forced from their homes by Serb paramilitary forces. These people are said to be wandering the country looking for a way out to safety. Refugees already in Albania have been moved away from the Kosovo border wherever possible, to make more room in the camps for the next wave. [More than 400 more Kosovars arrive in Albania – www.afp.com; New refugee wave expected – http://news.bbc.co.uk]

ALBANIA: AIRLIFT FROM BORDER 27 Apr. 99 – UNHCR and NATO plan to resume a helicopter airlift of Kosovo refugees from camps in northern Albania to locations deeper inside the country, officials said yesterday, reports Reuters. UNHCR said it was responding to a request from Albanian authorities who said they wanted Kukes clear of refugees by the end of this week. "Firstly we want to have room for thousands of other refugees if and when they arrive . . . And also I believe the Albanian authorities do not want the presence of large numbers of Kosovo Albanians to be a provocation to the Serbs," said a UNHCR official. The helicopter airlift was scheduled to resume today. It is difficult to say exactly how many of an estimated 350,000 Kosovo refugees remain in Kukes. Persuading these refugees to leave is proving difficult. Many are missing family members and remain in Kukes in the hope of being reunited. Reuters adds tractor owners are proving among the most reluctant to leave Kukes. Also, authorities fear a long procession of mechanically dodgy tractors could tie up roads leading to Kukes for days. "What we are suggesting is that once a week we have a tractor day and only mechanically sound tractors – just with the driver – should leave," said UNHCR spokesman Jacques Francquin. [Refugee airlift from north Albania set to resume + Tractors provide symbol of hope for Kosovo refugees – www.reuters.com]

KOSOVANS FLOWN FROM MACEDONIA 27 Apr. 99 – Planeloads of Kosovo refugees left Macedonia yesterday for other European countries, reports the Financial Times. Aid workers said three planeloads left in the morning (yesterday) carrying 149 refugees to the Netherlands, 155 to Sweden and 134 to France. Planned flights later in the day included 147 refugees for Finland and around 250 to Turkey. Simona Obitz, spokeswoman for the International Organisation for Migration, said as many as 1,300 refugees could be airlifted from the country by end of the day. This would be the largest daily number to date, she said. Macedonia said Sunday that just under 26,000 of 175,000 refugees who have entered the country had been sent on to third countries so far. Reuters reports German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday criticised other European Union nations for failing to follow through on pledges to accept refugees from Kosovo. Schroeder told officials of his Social Democratic party that Germany had made good on its vows to support the refugees and given 10,000 temporary shelter but said other EU states were guilty of foot-dragging. [Refugees leave Macedonia – www.ft.com; German criticises EU for foot-dragging on refugees – www.reuters.com]

KOSOVANS: JAPAN PLEDGES $200m 27 Apr. 99 – Japan said today it will extend a total of US$200m in humanitarian aid to Kosovo refugees, reports Reuters. Top government spokesman Hiromu Nonaka made the announcement at a news conference. Japan has already contributed US$15m in aid through the United Nations and has sent 1,000 tents to the region. A total of US$60m in aid will be extended over the next two years to Albania and Macedonia, which have been dealing with the inflow of tens of thousands of ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo, he said. He also said Japan would give US$100m to a special fund to help with the reconstruction of Kosovo and to help refugees return. Japan will also contribute US$40 million for Kosovo refugees through UNHCR, Nonaka said. "The problem of Kosovo refugees is the biggest issue the international community now faces," Nonaka said. Kyodo reports a Japanese government mission that visited Albania and Macedonia earlier this month called for help to both the refugees and the two nations. [Japan pledges $200 mln in Kosovo aid – www.reuters.com; Japan's aid for Kosovo refugees raised to 200 mil. dlrs – www.kyodo.co.jp]

KOSOVANS: MUSLIMS RALLY AID 27 Apr. 99 – Muslim states are rallying to the plight of the Kosovo refugees, sending to Albania everything from crates of dates to the men and material to build an airport, reports AP in Cairo. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan, one of the world's largest Muslim populations, plans to visit Albania himself tomorrow to show support for the refugees and to thank the government for hosting them, the Pakistani foreign ministry said yestyerday. "The Islamic world cannot witness these crimes without taking action," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi said at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Geneva on April 7. While the ministers condemned the Yugoslavian military's actions in Kosovo, they did not comment on the NATO bombing. If Muslim states cannot close ranks on the NATO campaign, they find it easy to agree on supplying aid to the refugees. The United Arab Emirates is to build an airport outside Kukes, the northern Albanian town inundated with refugees. [Muslim states giving Albania everything from dates to an airport – www.ap.org]

BALKANS: ECONOMIES DISRUPTED 27 Apr. 99 – The Kosovo conflict is casting a shadow across the economies of the Balkans, but the most serious economic disruption, outside Yugoslavia, is occurring in Albania and Macedonia, reports the Financial Times. The two countries have been flooded by nearly 500,000 Kosovan refugees. For Albania and Macedonia, the negative effect of disruption is offset, at least partially, by economic activity generated by the refugees. Albania's 3m population has been swollen by 15%. The estimated US$800m cost of caring for the refugees until the end of the year – to be met mostly by foreign aid – amounts to almost a quarter of GDP. The figures for Macedonia are smaller but still sizeable. However, this extra demand could do as much harm as good by distorting the economy, for example, by driving up prices for services such as road transport. Normal business is being depressed by uncertainty. [Shadow falls over region's economies – www.ft.com]

BOSNIA: INFLUX FEARED 27 Apr. 99 – Bosnia fears a possible influx of thousands of ethnic Albanian refugees currently in Montenegro if the security situation there worsens, a government minister was quoted as saying yesterday, reports Reuters. Deputy Civil Affairs and Communications Minister Haris Basic said such a development would add to an already difficult refugee situation in Bosnia. He said the country already has some 50,000 refugees from Yugoslavia. "It would create huge problems for us, particularly as we do not have financial means to take care of them," Basic told daily Dnevni Avaz. Basic said there were 23,000 Muslim refugees from Yugoslavia's Sanjak region and 13,000 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo in Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation. Most had arrived before the NATO bombing campaign. Basic also said 14,500 Serb refugees from Yugoslavia had arrived in Bosnia, most of them in the Serb republic. UNHCR last week put the total number of refugees from Yugoslavia in Bosnia at the lower figure of 32,500. [Bosnia fears influx of refugees from Montenegro – www.reuters.com]

ITALY: KOSOVANS AT SWISS BORDER 27 Apr. 99 – Switzerland is turning away hundreds of Kosovo refugees from its Italian border leaving them stranded in northern Italy and many more are feared to be on their way, aid workers said yesterday, reports Reuters. Hundreds of Kosovo Albanians have turned up at the border after travelling north through Italy hoping to join family in Switzerland and Germany. Most of them arrived in Italy by crossing the Adriatic Sea in small groups. "Between 30 and 40 refugees are being turned away every day at the Swiss border; this problem is only going to get worse and Switzerland must let these people through," said Padre Cornelius Koch, the Catholic Church's representative for refugees in Geneva. More than 100 refugees have been taken in to Red Cross camps surrounding Italy's Lake Como while some 100 more are sheltering in local parks and on motorway verges. Meanwhile Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports police said yesterday that some 200 more Kosovan refugees landed Sunday night on Italy's Adriatic coast. During the weekend nearly 700 refugees reached Italy by boat. About 1,700 had arrived during the past week, said La Repubblica newspaper. [Kosovo refugees stranded at Swiss/Italy border – www.reuters.com; Some 200 more Kosovo refugees land in Italy – www.dpa.com]
 
This document is intended for public information purposes only. It is not an official UN document.