Fears grow for Macedonia refugees

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The United Nations fears a humanitarian crisis may erupt in Macedonia as tens of thousands of civilians get caught in the nation's conflict zone.

Hordes of frightened villagers are continuing to stream from the villages about 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the capital, Skopje, into neighbouring Kosovo .

CNN's Chris Burns said tens of thousands of others appear unable or unwilling to leave the area, despite government appeals.

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Macedonian government guns, which had been pounding ethnic Albanian rebel positions in the north, were quiet on Thursday, and attempts to forge a unity government to present a united front in the crisis remain stalled.

Around 7,600 ethnic Albanians are estimated to have fled to Kosovo in the past week, said Amanda Williamson of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees agency.

Just two years ago, fighting in Serbia's largely ethnic Albanian-populated province, which is currently under NATO and UN control, drove refugees in the opposite direction.

Williamson said there were fears for those remaining in Macedonia: "We are extremely concerned that people are staying in the villages... we've never had such a situation."

Some houses in the area have been hit, but Burns said the government has insisted it is targeting only rebels -- who say they are fighting for ethnic Albanian rights, but the government contends are seeking to split the state.

The army claims the rebels are forcing civilians to stay as human shields -- charges they deny.

"There are 30,000 civilians in this area. How could we possibly keep them hostage against their will?" one rebel commander, Commander Sokoli told Reuters news agency.

Burns said the rebels appeared well entrenched, despite heavy army bombardment by tanks and helicopter gunships.

While the two big Slav parties, representing two-thirds of the people, and one of the two Albanian groups, have been pushing for a coalition government to face the crisis, the fragmented opposition Party of Democratic Prosperity (PDP) is demanding ceasefire conditions be agreed first.

The rebels have demanded to be included in political negotiations -- but the government has insisted there will be no dialogue.

Britain, which has played a leading role in peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans, has urged the PDP to join a coalition.

"A combined effort by all the democratic forces in Macedonia is necessary to demonstrate the complete repudiation of the terrorist acts of the rebels," said a spokesman.

"Democratic dialogue provides the only means of finding long-term solutions which will be acceptable to all the people of Macedonia."

The West has expressed deep concern that further conflict in Macedonia could destabilise the Balkans region, which has been rocked by a series of ethnic conflicts in recent years.

Fighting resumes in Macedonia
Macedonia forms unity government
Macedonia rebels under fire
Macedonia shelling resumes
Solana bids to avert Macedonia war
Macedonia resumes rebel offensive

UNHCR
Macedonian Government
The European Union
NATO

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