EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Tuesday, April 13, 1999-11:13CDT 

CRISIS NEWS BRIEFS

MACEDONIA (EmergencyNet News) - Hundreds of ethnic Albanian refugees streamed into Macedonia from Kosovo on Tuesday, apparently the biggest group to cross since Yugoslavia closed its borders last week. The refugees, carrying their children and belongings, walked along the railway track from Serbia and into a field near the Blace crossing point which was partially cleared of tons of garbage left behind by tens of thousands of people who were stranded there for days last week.

NORWAY (EmergencyNet News) - The United States tried to bring an embittered Russia back into the search for peace in Kosovo Tuesday as NATO warplanes pounded a barracks and fuel dumps in Yugoslavia. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met Moscow's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Norway for the first high-level talks since the Western alliance began its air war against Yugoslavia nearly three weeks ago.

SERBIA (EmergencyNet News) - NATO planes early Tuesday targeted the country's biggest oil refinery for the second time in 24 hours, along with military installations and transport centers. The alliance has said Yugoslav air defenses remain a formidable threat, and the state-run Tanjug news agency reported heavy anti-aircraft fire as NATO planes flew in waves over Belgrade late Monday and early Tuesday. Western military officials, meanwhile, moved to beef up the NATO attack force. In Washington, defense officials said they were planning to send several hundred more U.S. warplanes -- including ground-attack jets, radar-jamming planes and refueling tankers -- to join in the airstrikes.

WASHINGTON (EmergencyNet News) - A top U.S. official said on Monday that Serb military forces in Kosovo are using ethnic Albanian refugees to march alongside tanks and other armored vehicles in an attempt to shield them from NATO air attacks. Brian Atwood, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development told CNN's "Larry King Live" that U.S. satellites have photographic proof of almost 100 "fresh graves" around one particular town in the province.

From the ERRI Watch Center

SERBIA (EmergencyNet News) - NATO said on Tuesday it attacked two major oil refineries in Serbia and various targets near the Kosovo capital Pristina in overnight air strikes. The refineries at Pancevo, east of Belgrade, and in the northern second city of Novi Sad have been attacked several times in the last three weeks.

Yugoslavia said the Pancevo refinery, Serbia's largest, has been too badly bombed to produce petrol. Despite another night of bad weather, NATO struck at a range of military infrastructure targets, including a radio relay station. As has been the case through much of this conflict, there were few details.

New raids hit near Belgrade during the night and Yugoslavia reported scores of casualties from Monday's NATO attacks, including ten people killed when a missile hit a train crossing a bridge in south-eastern Serbia. NATO said Monday it had not intended to hit the train.

The Yugoslav official news agency Tanjug said NATO planes blasted military barracks in the capital Belgrade early Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The U.S. Defense Department is reviewing a request by NATO supreme commander Wesley Clark for 300 additional aircraft to support NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia.

A Pentagon official said Monday: "The goal is to increase NATO's ability to attack Yugoslavian army and security forces in Kosovo." The official, who asked not to be named, said the requested aircraft included air-to-ground attack capabilities, air-defense support and refueling aircraft.

A top U.S. official said on Monday that Serb military forces in Kosovo are using ethnic Albanian refugees to march alongside tanks and other armored vehicles in an attempt to shield them from NATO air attacks. Brian Atwood, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development told CNN's "Larry King Live" that U.S. satellites have photographic proof of almost 100 "fresh graves" around one particular town in the province.  Atwood said Washington also had gathered "direct evidence" of forced marches of refugees, rapes and executions from dozens of Albanian refugees.

In Macedonia, international monitors Monday said they were receiving reports of starvation and disease among ethnic Albanians trapped in Kosovo and several people had died of hunger. One Western official said: "There is a lack of food and drinking water. Incidents of typhoid, cholera, scabies and pulmonary infections have been increasing."

A report prepared for a U.S. House of Representatives committee said Monday that the flood of ethnic Albanians refugees from Kosovo could create instability in Macedonia and lead to the collapse of its economy. The report by a staff member of the House International Relations committee said much of the Macedonian economy, dependent on Serb supplies, customers and trade routes, could collapse within months under the weight of the refugee influx.

The report said that as the Macedonian economy declines, the local population, especially Serbs, could turn against any NATO forces in Macedonia. It said U.S. forces face a continuing threat from the minority Serb community in Macedonia.

UNITED KINGDOM (EmergencyNet News) - Special forces troops operating behind Serbian lines in Kosovo could be helping NATO warplanes pinpoint targets on the ground. There is much speculation that British SAS commandos may be active, identifying targets and guiding bombers. The SAS is said to had carried out similar operations during the Bosnian campaign.

As well as intelligence from the ground, satellites and U2 spy planes are now constantly relaying photographs to NATO military chiefs so they can see when and where Yugoslav troop and tank columns are on the move. And there are also now unmanned reconnaissance drones flying over Kosovo which provide crucial information to the allies.

Once planes or satellites detect movements, the drones, which can stay in the air for up to 24 hours, are sent in to provide detailed pictures to check whether vehicles are military or civilian.

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