Her comments gave impetus to Washington's position that only armed peacekeepers could assure the safe return of some 650,000 ethnic Albanian refugees. NATO military commanders are preparing a major expansion of ground forces to handle the enormous tasks involved in resettling hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo once hostilities cease, reports the Washington Post . NATO planners said up to 60,000 troops will be required. The Guardian reports NATO's leading members are pressing Russia to agree a set of principles on Kosovo which will include an international military force to allow ethnic Albanian refugees to return and pave the way for UN backing for future peacekeeping. The Financial Times adds NATO admitted it may be next spring before all the 800,000 refugees can return.
Human traffickers are a serious threat, especially in Albania.
Sadako Ogata told a news conference yesterday she had even wondered if the flimsy tents that have been erected in Albania, Macedonia and elsewhere would be sufficient to protect the estimated 695,000 refugees from the summer heat. In September freezing weather will be added to their hardships. A United Nations official yesterday said another 500,000 people could flee Kosovo as Serbian forces attempt to clear the Yugoslav province of ethnic Albanians, reports Reuters . Reuters also reports a senior Red Cross official yesterday said about half a million people inside Yugoslavia's borders are thought to be in urgent need of humanitarian aid because of the conflict in Kosovo. NATO soldiers in camps are a threat to refugees, says Rony Brauman, former president of Medecins sans Frontieres, in an interview with Liberation , joining a chorus of humanitarian workers who have criticised mixing humanitarian and military projects.