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Thousands of Kosovo refugees flood the borders of Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro RELATED VIDEO CNN's Matthew Chance follows the exodus of Kosovo refugees into Macedonia -- March 30 Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Mike Hanna talks with Kosovo refugees and the Montenegrin stranger who took them in -- March 30 Windows Media 28K 80K Experience what it's like to be a refugee from Kosovo, through the eyes of CNN cameras in Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia Windows Media 28K 80K To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Yugoslavia, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery. 28 K 80 K IMAGE GALLERY: Flight from Kosovo:  ALSO: Pentagon's supply of favorite weapon may be dwindling Key NATO members united in rejecting Milosevic overture U.S.: Milosevic offer falls 'far short' NATO brushes aside Yugoslav offer, targets troops U.S., world mobilize to aid Kosovo refugees Pentagon: NATO making progress, but campaign will take time  MESSAGE BOARD Crisis in Kosovo

March 31, 1999
Web posted at: 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT)

In this story: Refugees keep coming Aid efforts stepped up RELATED STORIES, SITES

LONDON (CNN) -- The head of the United Nations food agency on Wednesday said people still trapped in Kosovo could face starvation within 10 days to two weeks.

The head of the World Food Program, Catherine Bertini, said that refugees who have fled to Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro were not in danger since there was enough food there to feed them for four months.

However, CNN Correspondent Chris Burns reported that refugees who had crossed by the tens of thousands into northern Albania to escape the Serb crackdown against them in Kosovo faced new problems.

Burns reported Wednesday that Albanian police had to intervene to stop impoverished local Albanians from trying to steal money or valuables from incoming refugees.

Many of those refugees had already had most of their possessions stolen by Serb police or paramilitary units before they left Kosovo.

Crisis expected to worsen

"The food crisis inside Kosovo is expected to worsen," Bertini told reporters in London. "Without international relief assistance, starvation is expected within 10 days to two weeks."

She said that the U.N. agency's extensive food stocks inside Kosovo had been looted in the recent upsurge of fighting.

"The internal food distribution system has broken down as a result of the conflict. The food crisis threatens to be a long-term problem because no harvest is expected this year," she said.

Bertini said she had no idea as to how many people were now trapped in the Serb province of Kosovo.

Refugees keep coming

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Wednesday that 85,000 refugees had poured into Albania so far. About half of those have been moved from the rugged border region to coastal areas.

Tens of thousands more refugees have already fled to Macedonia and the Yugoslav province of Montenegro. More refugees were still trying to escape into those regions on Wednesday.

Many of the refugees who crossed into Albania told CNN that Serb paramilitary police expelled them under threat of death, torched and plundered their homes and villages, and took their remaining money before they were forced to cross the border.

CNN correspondents in Montenegro and Macedonia heard many similar tales of death, destruction and suffering from the refugees.

Aid efforts stepped up

International aid agencies, including the WFP, UNHCR and the International Committee for the Red Cross have all stepped up their refugee aid efforts.

Wednesday's aid deliveries included a WFP shipment of 40 tons of wheat flour and 10 tons of high protein biscuits from the Albanian capital Tirana to the northern town of Kukes, where tens of thousands of refugees were welcomed and got their first emergency aid.

Britain was sending an aircraft with relief supplies to Macedonia Wednesday. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Julia Taft told CNN that the U.S. government -- which has pledged more emergency refugee aid -- was trying to help Macedonia cope with the massive refugee influx.

And French President Jacques Chirac called on the European Union on Wednesday to step up its aid efforts.

"It is up to Europe to assess the extent of the problem and assume its responsibility even more that it has done so far," he told a Cabinet meeting.

"In these circumstances and in view of the barbarity of the Serbian authorities that once again explains and justifies our (military) determination, the Europeans have a moral duty to act," he added.

The European Union, Turkey, Switzerland, Australia and Canada are among the nations that have already contributed or pledged refugee aid.

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