NATO is claiming that Serbia's forcible expulsion of ethnic Albanians from their homes in Kosovo has now been extended to the capital, Pristina. The alliance is also alleging that refugees inside the province are again being fired on. There have also been the first indications that the conflict may spread beyond Yugoslavia's frontiers, with Albania accusing Belgrade of shelling two of its villages in the border region. Western monitors in the area have meanwhile estimated that the number of refugees who have crossed into Albania since the campaign began is approaching 100,000. Hundreds more are trying to enter Macedonia.
As the refugee crisis escalates, the UN refugee agency has accused the Yugoslav government of using terror tactics to empty Kosovo of its ethnic Albanian majority. Hundreds of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo who arrived by train in neighbouring Macedonia this morning said they had been forced out by Serb police. The refugees said they had been rounded up in the Kosovan capital, Pristina, and locked into a train which then set off for the border. There are also reports that two Albanian villages close to the border with Yugoslavia were shelled overnight.
As the exodus of refugees from Kosovo continues, fears are growing that the neighbouring countries of Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia will be destabilised. Last night, the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, accused Serb forces of flagrantly abusing humanitarian law in Kosovo. He said the ethnic Albanian population was being forced to pay the price of the unresolved political conflict in the region. He described them as the victims of an organised campaign of ethnic cleansing.
This morning, the Macedonian Government responded to reports that it closed its borders yesterday to halt the influx of refugees. Speaking on RTE Radio, the Macedonian under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Sammi Ibrahim, said the crossings were still open.
Belgrade is blaming NATO for the refugee exodus. The Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister, Vuk Draskovic, said the refugees are running away from NATO bombs and not Serb forces. NATO has renewed its air attacks on Yugoslavia after dismissing yesterday's partial cease-fire offer by President Slobodan Milosevic.
