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| A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS | |
 March 30, 1999 
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Too numerous to count, the exodus of refugees fleeing Kosovo increases by the day. Following a background report, Elizabeth Farnsworth and guests discuss the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Balkans.
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KWAME HOLMAN: Tens of thousands of Kosovar refugees have scattered South and West in search of shelter in neighboring Macedonia, Albania, a Bosnia, as well as in the neutral Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro. Today in Brussels, NATO Spokesman Jamie Shea tallied the estimates of displaced people.
KWAME HOLMAN: And the higher estimates do not include refugees who
fled in the weeks and months before
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| Preparing for the refugees. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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KWAME HOLMAN: At the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned Serbia for its actions and promised UN relief for the refugees. KOFI ANNAN: I have designated the high commissioner for refugees as
a lead agency to coordinate all United Nations relief activities in
the region. I appeal to all of Kosovo's neighbors to give shelter and
comfort to the
The ethnic and political differences that helped bring about the dissolution
of Yugoslavia now divide the lands swamped by refugees. While Albania
is populated almost exclusively by ethnic Albanian Muslims, Macedonia
and Montenegro have a strong mix of Albanians and Serbs, |
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JAMIE
SHEA, NATO Spokesman: Yesterday we had a figure of 35,000 people who
had fled Kosovo since March the 24th. But this morning we have a new
figure of 118,000. This represents an enormous increase in just a few
days, and the numbers are increasing all of the time. 
the
air strikes began. The UN High Commission for Refugees now estimates
Albania alone may have more than 100,000 refugees within its borders.
And the number could rise to 150,000 very soon. The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia has received more than 22,000. Even tiny Montenegro
has taken in more than 40,000 refugees fleeing Kosovo. Thousands more
have reached Bosnia as well. US and European officials warn the stage
is set for a humanitarian catastrophe. These were among the poorest
countries in Europe even before the refugees started to pour in. 
PETRO
KOCE, Interior Minister, Albania: The situation is very grave, and we
need emergency international support. So I think it's now quite impossible
for us to handle the situation. 
helpless
civilians who have been driven from their homes. Borders must be kept
open. Safety and protection must be given to those in need. I call upon
the international community to give immediate financial, material and
logistical support to the authorities in all countries where the refugees
are arriving; particularly in Albania, in the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia and in Montenegro. Any solution to the conflict must allow
these unfortunate people to return eventually to their homes in full
security and dignity.
KWAME
HOLMAN: This part of Europe was dominated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire
through much of its early history and by communist rule in much of the
20th century. Only recently have these countries embarked on democratic
government. Macedonia and Bosnia broke from Yugoslavia within the last
ten years. Montenegro, along with Serbia, is all that remains of the
Yugoslav Federation. 
Muslims
and Orthodox Christians. Bosnia is unique in that it still is trying
to recover from the loss of more than a million refugees during its
recent war. Few of them have returned to their original homes and villages.
Meanwhile, the minority Serbian populations in those countries have
staged sometimes violent demonstrations to show solidarity with Belgrade
against the NATO air campaign.