5,000 EXHAUSTED DEPORTEES ENTER ALBANIA NEAR KUKES OVERNIGHT

KUKES, April 17 (Hina) - Thousands of refugees from Kosovo were crossing into Albania overnight. At least 5,000 deportees, mostly women and children, who were soaking wet due to heavy rains, passed the border crossing near the northern town of Kukes last night, after about 10,000 refugees entered Albanian via the same crossing on Friday. The majority of the newly arrived deportees are from the northern Kosovo town, Kosovska Mitrovica, which used to have 80,000 residents. Many Kosovans have walked for days and arrived in Kukes totally exhausted and malnourished. Those who reached Kukes have said that from 60,000 to 100,000 people are on the way toward Albania or Macedonia. A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jacques Franquin, who toured the border crossing overnight, said there were no more available facilities for accommodation of new deportees. We ask for help. We do not know where we can settle those who are coming, he stressed. On Friday, the Albanian Information Minister said he was expecting that additional 100,000 Kosovans would arrive in his country soon. Serbs are systematically cleansing northern Kosovo of Albanians, he added. About estimated 325,000 Kosovans have already poured into Albania. According to UNHCR figures, 650,000 people have so far been expelled from Kosovo. (hina) jn ms