"After the many tragedies you have endured," Steingberg said, "you must not allow your understandable desire to return home now to create a new tragedy -- a landmine accident -- that will last a lifetime. Allow us the time needed to ensure that you can walk the earth in safety."

In a briefing here June 13, Steinberg said there must be information products for refugees and returnees, surveys to determine the full extent of the problem, and an intensive clearance effort.

He said the United States is coordinating its assistance with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.N. Mine Action Service, UNICEF, NATO, and non-governmental organizations, and has already provided UNICEF with a $350,000 grant to prepare 60,000 pamphlets, 100,000 posters, and other materials for distribution in refugee camps.

Steinberg noted that NATO forces in Kosovo will clear mines from areas related to their own deployment, such as roads and bridges, but will not engage in humanitarian demining activities. That task, he said, will be coordinated by the U.N. Mine Action Service. He also announced that the United States had signed a contract with a private company, Ronco International, to assist the demining and mine verification process, but that the eventual goal is to hand over the function of mine clearance to the Kosovars themselves.

Following is a text of his statement:

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STATEMENT BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN DEMINING DONALD STEINBERG

to the Albanian and international media at a press conference on June 13 in Tirana, Albania

(The statement was broadcast over national television that evening.)

Thank you for coming today. As Special Representative of President Clinton for Global Humanitarian Demining, my role is to help implement the President's Demining 2010 Initiative, which seeks to eliminate the threat of landmines to civilians around the world by the year 2010.

Around the world, the United States conducts programs in some 30 mine-affected countries to promote mine awareness, train foreign deminers, create mine action centers, and assist the survivors of landmine accidents.

Given the real threat that landmines, booby traps and unexploded ordnance pose to the return of refugees to Kosovo, I was asked to travel to Albania and Macedonia to assess the situation facing the refugees as they seek to go home, to accelerate various forms of mine action, and to further coordinate our efforts with UNHCR, U.N. Mine Action Service, and UNICEF -- as well as NATO and non-governmental organizations.

I have been at the refugee camps in Kukes for the last two days. Over the next two days I will hold meetings here in Tirana with officials of the Government of Albania, NATO and others. I will travel on Tuesday to Macedonia for similar meetings.

Let me state at the outset that the situation regarding landmines in Kosovo remains unclear, especially since NATO forces entered Kosovo just a matter of hours ago. Still, even the information we know for certain makes clear that landmines, booby traps and unexploded ordnance pose a serious and dangerous threat to the rapid repatriation of Kosovar refugees. We know that the regular Serb military forces have laid minefields along the principal borders and along key roads. Further, there are clear reports of other mines laid by para-military forces on both sides, for which no maps or records exist. There are also reports of booby traps left in Kosovo. Finally, there are large amounts of unexploded ordnance of various forces, including the Serbs, KLA and NATO.

Given the threat these weapons pose to returning refugees, there must be a comprehensive program of actions, including mine awareness for refugees and returnees, mine surveys within Kosovo to determine the full extent of the problem, and an intensive mine clearance effort. The United States Government has taken a number of initiatives to address these requirements.

In the area of mine awareness, we have provided a $350,000 grant to UNICEF for the preparation of mine awareness pamphlets, posters, and other materials. These materials are already in use at the refugee camps in Macedonia, and they were field tested this weekend in Kukes to ensure they are appropriate for use there. UNICEF is now preparing 100,000 posters and 60,000 pamphlets, which will be distributed shortly. This is part of a larger effort that will continue when the refugees return to their homes in Kosovo, including television and radio announcements, theater groups and dance troupes, and other innovative forms of spreading the message.

As the NATO forces enter Kosovo, they will engage in countermine activities related primarily with their own deployment. This will involve clearance of roads, bridges, tunnels, railroads, and the like. Consistent with similar missions elsewhere, they will not engage in humanitarian demining activities.

Later this week, however, the U.N. Mine Action Service will set up in Pristina a mine action coordinating center, which will collect and disseminate information related to mines and mine-action, coordinate the activities of the various donors, and ensure consistency and quality control. The United States will set up a coordinating unit to work with this center.

An important first function for the demining effort will be a comprehensive survey to help inform our efforts. Halo Trust, an NGO from Britain, will take the lead in this effort, which is designed to help us identify areas of the country that are safe from mines and permit us to establish priorities among the areas that are mined.

I am pleased to announce that the U.S. Government has signed a $1.6 million contract with Ronco International, a private company, to assist the actual demining and mine verification process in Kosovo. Ronco has been a world leader in demining, including in Bosnia, and will begin its operations within a month, consistent with the need to establish priorities. I am certain that other donors will also be funding demining operations in Kosovo.

The eventual goal is to hand over the function of mine clearance to the Kosovars themselves, empowering them to address a problem that is likely to remain for at least three-to-five years.

In conclusion, I want to relay a message to the Kosovar refugees, consistent with the message I communicated this weekend in the camps of Kukes. The international community is committed to doing what it can to establish the conditions needed for your safe return. The entire world has great appreciation for the courage and dignity you have shown during this period of great crisis. As you prepare for the long-awaited return to your homes, it is important to act with prudence to prevent new tragedies from occurring. The conditions for your safe return to Kosovo with respect to landmines and unexploded ordnance do not yet exist.

We ask that you show a little more patience to allow NATO to enter the country and to allow international agencies and non-governmental organizations to clarify the conditions vis-a-vis landmines. After the many tragedies you have endured, you must not allow your understandable desire to return home now to create a new tragedy -- a landmine accident -- that will last a lifetime. Allow us the time needed to ensure that you can walk the earth in safety.