(16 May 1999) English/Nat

A United Nations advance team arrived in Belgrade on Sunday for a ten day fact finding mission.

The team, made up of representatives of all the UN agencies, will travel across all of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, to assess the humanitarian situation.

The initiative, launched by U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan, will also look at the problems that will face the refugees if and when they return.

The seventeen member U-N mission arrived at their Belgrade hotel on Sunday, ready for their ten day mission.

Led by Sergio Viera DeMello, the team's members represent various U-N agencies - from the World Food Programme and U-N-H-C-R to agencies, who will assess the enviromental damage caused by the NATO airstrikes.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"So this is a combined humanitarian team that will be looking obviously at the emergency humanitarian needs, at the problem of the displaced, particularly in the province of Kosovo. We're worried about the hundreds and thousands that are said to be on the move in that province. We will be assessing basic humanitarian needs, also in Serbia and Montenegro, but we will also be assessing medium term needs and I'm speaking of rehabilitation and reconstruction especially fro those that we hope will be able to return to their homes in Kosovo."
SUPER CAPTION: Sergio Viera DeMello, head of UN mission

On Monday the UN team will first meet Yugoslav officials, and then will travel into the field.

Apart from visiting Serbia and Montenegro, the team will spend three days in the Serbian province of Kosovo.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We're going to all of them. We're going to the southern part. We're going to the border with Macedonia. We're going to the border with Albania, and on the way out into Montenegro, we're going to the western part, and also the areas around Pristina itself, and we're coming in as you know from Nic. So we hope it will be a thorough visit."
SUPER CAPTION: Sergio Viera DeMello, head of UN mission

This group is a preliminary mission, ahead of a larger scale U-N humanitarian effort within Yugoslavia.

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