I welcome this opportunity to address the House on the very grave humanitarian situation in the Balkans. Every right thinking person is appalled by the human tragedy unfolding in Kosovo. Daily media coverage confirms the worst excesses of ethnic cleansing by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia. Young and old have been forced to trudge through snow and across mountains or have huddled in the back of tractors moving towards an uncertain future. They have been left bereft and despairing, cast out for no other reason than their ethnic background. In addition, there are increasing reports of mass executions, of individual arbitrary killing, the use of civilians as human shields, of rape, torture and other gross human rights abuses. There are many cases where identity papers and property documents have been taken from refugees and destroyed in what seems a clear move to make their return more difficult.
The pre-conflict population of Kosovo has been estimated at two million people, with ethnic Albanians making up between 90 and 95 per cent or approximately 1.8 million. As of 20 April, up to 580,000 people are estimated to have fled from Kosovo to neighbouring countries, in particular Albania and Macedonia.
We talk about refugees having fled their homes, but we should be in no doubt that what we are dealing with here is the effective systematic deportation of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. We can only speculate about the number of displaced persons within Kosovo but their situation in terms of food and other necessities and above all their security is very precarious.
Faced with this enormous humanitarian crisis our response must be flexible, generous and urgent. The UNHCR, the lead humanitarian agency, has emphasised that the priority focus is to provide protection and assistance to refugees as close as possible to Kosovo.
There are a number of reasons underpinning this approach. First, it responds to what refugees want. Understandably, many are anxious to remain close to home and hope that return will be possible sooner rather than later. Second, the aim is to facilitate return to Kosovo when this is possible, bearing in mind the need to ensure that refugees can return in peace and security. This is easier from countries close to Kosovo. Third, it is hoped to avoid a mass resettlement of people. Apart from the obvious trauma associated with uprooting people from their own land and culture, there are serious reservations about assisting President Milosevic in his campaign of ethnic cleansing. The focus, therefore, of the international relief effort has been, and continues to be, on providing assistance in the region. The UN issued a revised donor alert on 1 April for $138.4 million, the bulk of which is earmarked for the UNHCR. The most pressing needs are for food, sanitation, clothing and shelter. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross launched a joint appeal on 8 April for $567 million.
In response to these needs, the Government has recently allocated £2.4 million in humanitarian assistance. These funds are being channelled through Irish aid agencies and international organisations such as the UNHCR and the World Food Programme.
The non-governmental agencies which have recently received Government funding, namely, Trócaire, Concern, GOAL, Christian Aid and World Vision, are carrying out emergency programmes in Albania, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In addition, the European Union is providing a package of assistance in excess of 250 million euro through the European Commission to the countries bordering Kosovo. The largest pro portion of this package is being distributed to aid agencies in the region through the European Community Humanitarian Office.
The effects of the brutal policy being implemented by the authorities in Belgrade on the Kosovo Albanian population is just one aspect of this terrible humanitarian situation. There are concerns about the impact of this enormous extra burden on the countries most affected, Albania and Macedonia. The arrival of such large numbers of people in neighbouring countries also carries the risk of major destabilisation throughout the region, and of overwhelming humanitarian efforts, both local and international, to help them. This is also not to forget the problem of how to address the humanitarian needs of those still in Kosovo.
Currently Albania has a refugee population of 355,000 while Macedonia is host to 127,000 refugees. Albania, as the poorest country in Europe, is particularly badly affected. Nevertheless, it has responded most generously and has welcomed all refugees seeking to cross its borders, even taking a number of refugees from Macedonia. Macedonia has also welcomed a large number of refugees, which is putting pressures on an already existing delicate population balance.
The flow of refugees continues unabated. Efforts are already under way to relieve pressure at the border points in both Albania and Macedonia by moving refugees into the interior, but even this does not address the severe problems which sheer numbers are presenting.
It is against this background that the UNHCR, while emphasising that its primary wish is to keep refugees in the region, has been putting together an emergency evacuation plan with a primary focus on refugees from Macedonia. The UNHCR has stressed the vital importance of ensuring that all refugee movements are co-ordinated by and through it, as lead agency. Equally important is that all movements are voluntary and based on informed choice. The UNHCR has also requested that countries respect the integrity of family units.
