U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

March 29, 1999

ON-THE-RECORD BRIEFING

Washington, D.C.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY TAFT: Obviously, this is a story that is unfolding as we speak, because there are still very large numbers of refugees that are fleeing Kosovo and we are getting little information about what the current conditions are within Kosovo itself because there is virtually no Western presence there.

But let me just tell you a little bit about the principle outflows, where they are and what structures are in place, and then I'll be glad to talk to you. As you know, this conflict and this crisis has been going on for a year, and we have been involved in a humanitarian way ever since this time last year. The numbers that you hear about, with regard to about 500,000 displaced, are people who have been displaced in the past year and include those that have been in Kosovo, which is 260,000 internally displaced persons in Kosovo.

What we've watched ever since the Rambouillet process is a steady outflow of people because of an increase of the military pressure within Kosovo. Yesterday, we got reports that people were coming into Albania at 4,000 an hour; it is now down to 2,000 an hour. They are all, first of all, transiting through a place called Kukes, which is right near the border. Fortunately, it is a location where, in June of last year, we and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had identified and pre-positioned some sites for what we thought was going to be a large outflow in June and July. Now, it, of course, is totally overwhelmed with people. The latest figure I have of those who have gone into Albania over the weekend is 60,000.

Going into Montenegro, we have confirmed about 28,000 to 30,000 people have come -- some of them by foot, some by car, some by donkey cart -- into Montenegro from Pec. Pec, as we understand it, is under siege and burning and people have been fleeing there and have gone into Montenegro. The places they've gone in Montenegro are primarily Plav and Rozaj. Those are two locations that we had assistance strategies for over the past several months. Now these two villages have received these other people.

In terms of [the Former Yugoslav Republic of] Macedonia, I think this time on Friday everybody thought the big surge was going to go into Macedonia. It has not happened. They're at about 20,000 and over the weekend only about 2,000 more have gone into Macedonia.

Now, what is the assistance strategy? This is the most important thing that my office is dealing with. Throughout the whole conflict, we have relied on the International Committee for the Red Cross. They have been in Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo. They reported to me this morning that they had to leave Pristina. They were the only international organization with a presence in Kosovo, and they have now left today. They've gone up to Belgrade and will be deciding where else they'll be re-deployed.

The US funds about 25 percent of the ICRC program. As you know, it is totally neutral and deals with victims of conflict as well as combatants and non-combatants. So their lack of presence is very disturbing from Kosovo.

The other major agency that we are working with is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. They are holding twice daily meetings, have representatives now in every one of the affected areas. The US has been supporting them. We just gave, as you heard Friday, $8.5 million more dollars to UNHCR; we fund about 25 percent of its overall costs.

I spoke with Mrs. Ogata today, who is the High Commissioner for Refugees. She indicated to me that she was having additional staff return to Montenegro. They had left in the evacuation. They are going to be back today, and then she will have additional staff in Albania. Most of her program staff that had been in Kosovo evacuated to Skopje, and they and about 55 NGOs [non-government organizations] that have been supported by the international community primarily are in Macedonia.

We are watching this, obviously, by the minute and are in the process of re-deploying relief supplies that were headed to Macedonia. We are going to be having to send those to Albania and to send some relief workers down there to help the UN system and the host governments. In all of these countries -- in Macedonia, in Montenegro and in Albania -- the host officials have been terrific, as have been the other front line states, who are communicating on a regular basis about their own preparations to be helpful in terms of overflow capacity and safe transit of goods and relief workers.

That's where we are now, and I'd be glad to answer any questions that you might have.

Q: The $8.5 million, was does that exactly go for? Does that go for food, shelter; what does that pay for?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY TAFT: That pays for the UNHCR program, which then buys a lot of non-food items and provides sanitary items -- blankets, tents, et cetera. This is not in response to an urgent appeal that they've issued. This was an expression we wanted to give them last week to say we look to them for leadership and want to get them started.

In Geneva on April 6, they will present a flash emergency appeal, which will cover those items. Now, the food side is through the World Food Program and our Food-for-Peace program. USAID has been supporting the requests for food. We have right now -- and this is important to stress -- we have in the pipeline or pre-positioned in the region enough food to have fed 400,000 people through next September. That's the good news. The bad news is a lot of that food was in Belgrade and in Kosovo, and some still in the port of Bar -- in Montenegro.

We have had warehouses looted from NGOs and the UNHCR that were in Kosovo. So we consider those stocks not available, and they're trying to reassess exactly how much more we have to have. But there's food on the high seas, in Bar, in Macedonia, and we're in the process of trying to figure out how we add to that.

Q: Can I just follow up? Just from your perspective, some people are describing this as the worst humanitarian disaster since World War II. >From your perspective, how do you assess what we're looking at here?

A: You know, it's so hard. I've been doing disasters for 25 years and every one has its own compelling tragedy to it. I don't know how many of you were involved with the Goma crisis, when the Rwandans came out into Goma. There were a million people in three days. That was really overwhelming.

What makes this so horrendous is that the people who are still in Kosovo -- and these are people that we have worked with, the Mother Teresa Society, with the NGOs, with the UN agencies -- those people have been given hope and assistance and efforts to rebuild their houses and food, et cetera, ever since this crisis began. Now these people are absolutely devastated and being killed.

When I first heard last week that very few people were coming out, I mentioned that I was concerned about that; because this is exactly what happened last June when we were expecting a lot more people to come out with the aggressive action of the VJ last June. There was influx into Albania, and many of us were doing contingencies that would have allowed a surge of 100,00 to 200,000 people. They didn't come; there were only about 16,000 that came. What happened was that the Serbian authorities decided that they would seal the borders and not let people out. So we had this huge internal conflict and internal displacement.

So last week when some of the refugees started coming out, I thought that was a good sign, because at least they had the option to leave. Then you'll recall, about Thursday or Friday, they weren't coming out. I was quite concerned about that. Since then, they're coming out but they're being told they have to get out and if they don't get out then they will suffer the consequences. So the only judgment I can make is that at least for those who are able to get out, they will be able to avail themselves to international protection; they'll get some assistance - maybe not in the first 20 minutes or the first day - but we're going to be ready with the international community to provide assistance.

Q: Of the 500,000 total over the last year, how many of these have come out in the past couple of weeks since the active campaign of oppression began?

A: Okay, the best figures that we have right now since March 24 are about 75,000.

Q: To all three places - Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro?

A: Mm-hmm.

Q: That's the last three days?

A: Since the 24th of March; that's according to the UNHCR. Let me just read them out to you, just in case my adding is not correct: 3,000 have gone, evidently, within the federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which is really Serbia, have gone into Montenegro; 60,000 into Albania. It says that 3,000 went into Macedonia since the 24th but preceding that, there was 16,000. So we only have 3,000 into Macedonia.

Q: Didn't you say (inaudible) were in Macedonia?

A: Yes, but those were ones that came out before March 24. The question was how many since March 24 and very few -- only 3,000 since March 24. As you'll recall during the Rambouillet pause, there was a huge buildup of forces, and a lot of people came out in that time.

Q: The way I have it added -- maybe my adding is wrong, or maybe I'm getting something wrong here - but I have basically, if Montenegro, if you take the high end of 30,000, the total refugees in the three places is 112,000.

A: I'm sorry, 60, 30 --

Q: 112,000 -- 60,000 in Albania, 30,000 in Montenegro and 22,000 in Macedonia.

A: Well, that's cumulative. That's right.

Q: Right, right. My question is then you add the 260,000 IDPs who are still in Kosovo, you get 300 and whatever, which is not 500,000, which is what you said earlier.

A: No, I said the other ones were internally displaced. There are 260,000 people who are internally displaced within --

Q: Yes, I've added that into -- you add 260,000 to 112,000, and you get 372,000.

A: Okay, I will give you this chart. If you want the nuances there, there were a large number of Krajina Serbs that were in Kosovo that we have been providing assistance to for the last many years; 55,000 of them have gone into either Serbia or to Montenegro. In addition, Serbia proper has about 500,000 Krajina Serbs -- again, old caseload.

So there's 55,000 displaced Serbs that were in Kosovo who have gone up to either Montenegro or Serbia; you've got 260,000 within Kosovo, internally displaced; and you have now 18,000 approximately in Montenegro. You have in Albania, I mentioned the 60,000 just in the last few days but if you take the old caseload from last June, add another 18,500. You've got 2,600 that went into Turkey. There's an older caseload of people who have gone into Western Europe.

I don't want to get -- I mean if you're interested in all of these numbers, let me just say they change very minute. Every time somebody says, do the numbers, they have a different ground rule as to what the base ought to be. If you'll tell us -- tell Jim what the base is that you would like so that we can compare it, that will be good.

Q: I just wanted to ask a kind of technical question, not with numbers though. Is someone technically a refugee if they go from Kosovo to Montenegro or are they an IDP?

A: You are correct. They are not technically a refugee. However, they are in refugee-like status, and Montenegro has been receiving them as though they are refugees.

Q: Two questions -- how did the Krajina Serbs get into Kosovo? Were they relocated there?

A: A long time ago, after the Bosnian War.

Q: After the Bosnian --?

A: They've been there about six or seven years, and they have been taken care of in about 220 collective centers throughout Serbia and a few in Montenegro and a few in Kosovo. They've been under the protection of the UNHCR in terms of feeding and shelter.

Q: Just out of curiosity, how did you get them to go to Kosovo?

A: We didn't get them to go to Kosovo. They were sent to Kosovo by the Serbian authorities several years ago.

Q: Oh, I see, so they fled from Bosnia into Serbia and the Serbian authorities sent them to Kosovo.

A: That is correct.

Q: Great leadership. Also, you've mentioned all the ones you were able to get out. I'm sure you're aware there's maybe 100,000 males of fighting age who have not been able to get out. There are reports of several places where they're being concentrated -- there's a soccer stadium in Pec and there are some factories around the country. What is your understanding of that situation?

A: I read the same reports you get. I mean, whether it's from the KLA's Internet site or whatever. I have no way to verify any of that. I think the only reports that we find credible are the ones when the refugees come out and tell us exactly what's happened. They have reported that the boys and the men have been separated from them. We did get the reports of Pec from them, as well as -- (inaudible) -- which is the area where they were warned to all leave by -- all Albanians were warned to leave today or they would be killed.

So we get these kind of reports. It's horrendous; there's no question. This is really absolutely brutal what is happening to these people, even if the stories were only half-true. It's just staggering.

Q: I understand, actually, that there are certain means the United States has been able to verify, NATO has been able to verify a lot of these claims. But that's okay, I know you probably can't respond to that. What is your understanding of what they're doing to these people? Why are they holding them there?

A: I think they've been very public in the fact that they want to just do in the KLA and anyone who's a sympathizer of the KLA. They have had it out for the men ever since this story started unfolding a year ago February. There's no question that it's ethnic cleansing; there's no question that decisions have been made to do a scorched earth policy. All the villages that are going up in flames now, this is not bombing; this is targeted house-to-house attacks. It's a very sad commentary on this whole situation.

Q: So your understanding is they're killing these people?

A: Yes. Terrifying them, allowing some to leave and killing some.

Q: The ones in, for instance, the soccer stadium in Pec -- they're killing these people?

A: I don't know about the soccer stadium in Pec. I heard about the soccer stadium in Pristina that was supposed to have 20,000 people in it. I did read a report today saying that someone who overlooks the stadium couldn't find anybody down there. But how do we know? You all are the reporters and you're not there, either. So I can't confirm any of this, but nothing surprises me at this point.

Q: I'm sorry to hound this, but just to clarify, your thinking on that is that they're killing these people that they're massing in the factories and stadiums around the country?

A: I didn't say that; I said I don't know. There are allegations that this is happening. All I know is that there is a disproportionate number of women and old people and children that are coming out. Of course, there are a lot of children anyway in the society, demographically. But we aren't seeing the young men. That is of great concern. But please do not misrepresent what I said, because I don't know. I have no witnesses; I have no authenticated confirmation.

Q: The UNHCR is planning on having a meeting tomorrow in Geneva. Is the US going to be giving more money towards this?

A: There are two meetings the UNHCR is planning to have. The one tomorrow is of the donor support group in Geneva. What Mrs. Ogata told me she was going to be asking for were an expression of what kinds of in-kind assistance the various countries could be providing. She's not asking for specific amounts of money. She's looking for sectoral support, as she often does -- logistics, tents, blankets, et cetera.

The next week, however, they will have prepared a major appeal about what they would like to do. It probably will include -- definitely will include requests for funding. It may also include requests for countries to accept overflow burdens of refugees from the front line states. That will be on the 6th of April.

Q: When this $8.5 million is used up and also considering a lot of your food supplies are locked up in Belgrade and Pristina, are you going to have to go back to Congress to get more money?

A: No, sir. Well, I shouldn't say -- fortunately, we have an authority to draw down on an emergency response account. It's called the ERMA account; it's a presidential determination, and we have some money left in that for this fiscal year which we can draw down. The last time we drew it down was for $25 million in January.

Now, one of the reasons I don't think, at this point, at least for my refugee related funds that I need any congressional funds for this is that we have provided, since the tragedy began, over $91 million out of our account in aid of food and OFDA -- $91 million for the Kosovo problem.

When our NGOs had to leave last week and go to Skopje, they had a lot of funding still left. We told them to please let us know how they would like to reprogram it for whatever country that can deal with the Kosovar Albanians. So we're talking with our agencies now about starting up their programs in Albania. There are three of our grantees that are in American agencies in Albania, and we're speaking with them about reprogramming the money for immediate response now. We're doing the same for those other ones that are in Macedonia.

So we have it in the pipeline. I think there will be enough food for the World Food Program. What we'll probably have to commit extra resources to is the overall coordination of UNHCR and probably some airlifts. For instance, we're looking at helicopters for some internal distribution in Albania because of the difficulty there. But of course, our hope is that this situation will not be attenuated, and we'll find some way to go back into Kosovo and rebuild the lives of these people there.

Q: You mentioned that the ICRC had to leave Pristina today. Can you tell us what the circumstances were; did anything in particular happen to them?

A: The ICRC is so circumspect, I'm not sure exactly why they chose today to leave. They have been, throughout the whole duration of this crisis, really terrific and very professional, very discreet about their services and their visits. When we were recommending that agencies leave last week, they said that they wanted to stay, would stay as long as they felt their delegates would be safe. So they must have made a judgment that it was no longer safe to stay.

Q: You mentioned earlier that in a previous event, you had anticipated a big flood of refugees that you did not actually see. Have you anticipated, last week or the week before, the level of refugees that you're now seeing? And if you did, why aren't the preparations already there for these people?

A: Well, I think to say the preparations are not there is not correct. There has been preposition in all the areas, assistance and arrangements through funding for the Red Cross societies, et cetera. What we didn't expect is that the floods would be intensified so much over the last several days. But let me just say that the surge has happened ever since Rambouillet, and it's actually been going on for a year.

We are working with our NGOs and with the UNHCR are on various contingency plans. Last week, they were fine on 100,000; this week we're going higher. We're not a military campaign; we're a humanitarian campaign. But one of the things that does strike me is that we have many, many -- with 55 non-governmental organizations that are in the region who have worked with the Kosovar Albanians, who speak their language, who know the people and have been providing assistance and can be trusted. What we've got to do is make sure these people are in touch with the refugees directly because you know they must be going through terrible psychological trauma and it will give them great comfort to know that these agencies will be able to get out and get to them.

Now, if the numbers go much higher, we'll just work harder.

Q: You were saying there's an assessment going on and how much food may have been lost in Belgrade or in Kosovo. Do you have an estimate, dollar sign?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY TAFT: No.

Q: How about what you now have available to use, some estimate? You gave a sense of how much there was in general.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY TAFT: Yes, well, one of the things that we know is that there is enough food in Albania for 100,000 people for one month. Of course, within that time, you can re-supply very easily; that's not a problem. But that's the place what we're looking for, the largest surge, and I feel very comfortable that the pipeline can be responsive there.

Thank you.