Kosovars at risk of freezing

TENS OF thousands of Kosovars are at risk of freezing in the Balkan winter because international aid agencies do not have enough money to put roofs on the ruined houses.

Representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees complained yesterday of a falling off of donations from Nato countries, stretched by the cost of the military campaign.

At times the UNHCR has been operating with only two days of cash in hand and, while it has funding until the middle of this month, it may already be too late to provide adequate shelter for returning refugees before the winter snows begin in October.

Ron Redmond, spokesman for the UNHCR in Pristina said: "The whole goal of this operation was that people would be able to return home. There's got to be some kind of transfer of money from the military to the humanitarian side or we are afraid it's going to jeopardise our winter operations."