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June 23, 1999
Web posted at: 10:15 a.m. EDT (1415 GMT)

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Thousands of ethnic Albanian refugees were retracing their steps Wednesday, returning from muddy, stark refugee camps to the uncertain future of what is left of their homes in Kosovo.

Since NATO troops entered the Yugoslav province on June 12, more than 200,000 Kosovars have begun the trip home, said Paula Ghedini of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.

Ghedini said the agency was bringing in tents and plastic to help shelter the refugees, many of whom are returning to burned-out houses and empty villages.

"Fortunately, although it's very cold the last couple of days, it is summer. We don't have to worry so much about winterization," she said. "We do understand that in the area of Pec and Djakovica, shelter considerations are the priority right now."

Lack of shelter is not the only concern -- retreating Serbs and their Kosovo Liberation Army rivals have left behind land mines, and unexploded NATO bombs also litter the landscape.

But despite international pleas asking them not to return to Kosovo yet -- including a direct message from U.S. President Bill Clinton Tuesday at Macedonia's Stenkovec refugee camp -- many refugees would prefer to bear hard conditions at home.

"My father is old and ill and he can't stay in the camp any more," said Mustapha Ibrahim, waiting at Stenkovec to return home. "Last night, the wind blew down a lot of tents."

"People understood Clinton's message but they are exhausted and can't stand the rain any more -- it goes into the tents," Ibrahim said. "Only families that don't have money to pay for the bus ride will stay."

Ghedini said that 12,500 refugees went from Macedonia to Kosovo Tuesday, along with 13,100 from Albania and 1,700 from Montenegro, bringing the total number of returnees to 209,000 since NATO troops began deploying in the province.

Peacekeeping mission grows

NATO's KFOR troops now number about 20,000, NATO spokesman Maj. Jan Joosten said Wednesday, less than half of the 55,000 planned. And Allied Supreme Commander Gen. Wesley Clark said Tuesday that the region may need more than that if it hopes to secure the safety of returning refugees -- both Albanians and Serbs, who have fled by the thousands as Yugoslav troops pulled out.

Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said Wednesday that Russian troops will be ready to join NATO forces on Monday, the Interfax news agency said. The presence of those troops is expected to help calm Serb fears of retaliations by ethnic Albanians.

Joosten could not confirm Sergeyev's timetable for Russian deployment, saying final arrangements should be made this week.

Russia plans to send 3,600 troops into Kosovo, the result of an agreement hammered out with U.S. officials after Yugoslavia agreed to withdraw. The Russians will serve in the German, French and American sectors.

Two hundred Russian soldiers are already in Kosovo -- they raced across the province ahead of the NATO forces on June 12 to occupy the Pristina airport, catching NATO by surprise. The agreement with Russia calls for a joint operation at the airport, in the British sector.

Russian peacekeeping troops entered Yugoslavia earlier this month

Some ethnic Albanians are concerned about the arrival of Russian peacekeepers, fearing they will perpetuate the policies of their traditional Serb allies. The Pentagon reported Tuesday that some Russian soldiers had served as mercenaries in Serb paramilitary groups as they carried out what Western leaders called a systematic operation of expulsions, attacks and massacres.

But Joosten said NATO had a "good relationship" with the Russians.

"There is no need to be afraid of Russian participation in Kosovo," he said.

In addition to the NATO and Russian troops, the United Nations is sending 200 civilian police advisers from its mission in Bosnia to help set up a new police force. That force is expected to eventually reach 3,000 officers, Joosten said.

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