Macedonia's border closure surprises UN

The Macedonian government closed its Blace border crossing with Kosovo last night and its police forced an estimated 1,000 refugees back from no-man's land towards the Serb checkpoint. UN refugee agency personnel said Serb police were then seen forcing the refugees back into Kosovo.

The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) was not informed the border was to be closed and was taken completely by surprise by last night's action.

Earlier yesterday, the UNHCR special envoy to the former Yugoslavia and Albania, Mr Dennis McNamara, announced that the Macedonian government had agreed to allow an extension to three camps there, making space available for 25,000 more refugees.

Last night, neither media nor the UNHCR were able to establish why the border had been closed. Ms Paula Ghedini, the UNHCR spokeswoman, said they had been given repeated assurances from Macedonian authorities "at the very highest level" that it would remain open.

Calls to various ministries last night received the same response from various officials: they knew nothing and call back today during office hours.

The closure at Blace took place after office hours yesterday, at about 5.30 p.m., when reporters were made move back about 200 metres from where the press normally gathered. Closer access was allowed later when the waiting refugees had been pushed back out of sight.

Vehicles returning from Blace last night were stopped by an army patrol to establish the identity of occupants. It is the first time the Macedonian army has taken part in any of the activities at Blace. Normally it confines its role to patrolling the surrounding countryside in search of refugees.

Mr Ron Redmond, of the UNHCR, said the agency considered the Macedonian government's action to be a denial of entry to refugees, and, as such, a breach of all conventions on asylum the country had signed. UNHCR would, he said, be sending a strongly-worded protest at the action.

Speaking at Blace earlier, Ms Ghedini said just 2,000 people had come through the crossing yesterday before the border was closed. They, and those turned back, were among 3,000 people who had arrived by train at 10.45 a.m. yesterday. She said the UNHCR was "extremely concerned" about the refugees forced back into Kosovo and three of its personnel would maintain a presence in no-man's land throughout the night.

At a press conference in Skopje yesterday, Mr McNamara said the Macedonian government had agreed to allow an extra 15,000 refugees be accommodated in the Cegrane camp, as well as 5,000 extra each at the Senokos and Blace camps.

Albania had agreed to take between 5,000 and 6,000 of the refugees from Macedonia, he said, and he was going to Tirana yesterday for further discussions with the Albanian government about its taking between 50,000 and 60,000 more refugees from Macedonia.

He also appealed urgently to third countries to set about fulfilling their promises to take 100,000 refugees from Macedonia. To date, just 26,700 of that number had been evacuated, he said.

"Burden-sharing is absolutely critical if we are to maintain asylum in the region."

As of yesterday, there were more than 200,000 refugees in Macedonia, he said, with more than 100,000 of those in nine camps. About 2,000 were evacuated to third countries yesterday.

Also yesterday, the Cegrane camp, which had not opened this day week, became the biggest in Macedonia, with more than 30,000 people. Many of the refugees there still sleep in the open as it has not been possible to erect tents fast enough.

Reuters adds: Macedonia has been hardest hit after Albania by the Balkans refugee crisis, with some 204,000 Kosovans massed in several overcrowded tent cities. Authorities have repeatedly warned that the refugee camps are full and that Macedonia, which has a population of just 2.2 million, could not take in more without risking turmoil on its territory.