Ladies and Gentlemen ...

Let me say first it's an honour to have been invited to this important conference, and to be given the opportunity to share with you the views and priorities of the Red Cross in relation to the Balkans.

With the signing of the Military Technical Agreement and the adoption of Security Council Resolution one-two-four-four, an end was put to one chapter at least of the violent recent history of south-eastern Europe.

But now the international community is facing more challenges, with a new exodus from Kosovo - this time involving the province's Serbs and Roma people - and a virtual Year Zero situation in Kosovo itself.

Since the end of March nineteen-ninety-nine, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation have adopted an integrated and regional approach, to respond to needs both inside and outside the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The ICRC and the International Federation are now committed to carrying out a wide range of programmes, in cooperation with National Societies of states directly affected by the crisis, and of third countries.

Currently, the focus is for legitimate reasons on Kosovo.

The priority for the Red Cross there is to help communities deal with the long term consequences of the conflict, and support local health and social institutions.

It's equally important to help strengthen civil society through support to local Red Cross structures.

In parallel, the Red Gross will be pursuing similar aims in Serbia and Montenegro -- as well as Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Let me quickly highlight some key areas of our activity...

In the field or protection first:

…taking every possible step to help protect all ethnic groups within Kosovo from acts of violence;

...obtaining access to anyone arrested by the Yugoslav authorities in connection with the conflict;

...obtaining information from the KLA about the fate of abducted Serbs and people from other communities;

...helping channel to the authorities requests for information about missing people and helping their families with psychological, legal and administrative counselling.

Then in relief and health, providing:

...food and non food aid programmes -- including winter supplies - for two-hundred thousand internally displaced people in Serbia and Montenegro;

...food and non-food programmes in Serbia for about twice that number of refugees from earlier conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia Herzogovina;

...emergency food assistance for a-hundred-and-fifty-thousand people in Kosovo, as well as winter and agricultural support programmes for fifteen thousand families;

...food and non food for the remaining Kosovo refugees in Albania and Macedonia, their host families and other local people who are vulnerable.

In addition, there'll be medical supply programmes throughout the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo.

In the field of health and relief, a very important role will be played by the respective National Societies.

The Red Cross will also carry out a mine awareness programme, with particular emphasis on Kosovo and Albania; there'll also be various psycho-social support projects.

Throughout the region, providing institutional and operational support to National Societies will be critical in contributing to the dynamics of civil society.

Already during the conflict, the Albanian, Macedonian and Yugoslav Red Cross played significant roles in the provision of assistance.

This will continue to be the case in months to come.

Nowhere will this dimension be more important and complex than in Kosovo itself.

There, specific consultation will be required with the Yugoslav Red Cross and the Kosovo Albanian Red Cross representatives, on the future of the Red Cross structure in the province.

In order to be in a position to carry out these various activities, the ICRC and the International Federation launched a revised integrated appeal on the twenty sixth of this month.

This was based on entirely new planning assumptions resulting from the changed operational environment.

This appeal -- which covers the period from April to December of this year - amounts to some three-hundred-and-twenty-million Swiss francs, of which a-hundred-and-eighty-two million are in cash.

After taking into account donations already received or firmly pledged in cash, kind and services, we're now looking for a-hundreded-twenty-million Swiss francs to complete the appeal.

I'd like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for the very generous support received from donors to date. And I'd also like, finally, to draw your attention to the comprehensive review of the integrated operation being conducted between September and November this year.