Three teams of international experts invited by the United Nations are due in Belgrade and Pristina on 18 July to investigate the effects of the Balkans conflict.

They will be working for the Balkans Task Force, a joint initiative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat).

The teams will be led by task force chairman, Pekka Haavisto, a former environment minister of Finland.

He said: "There has been a lot of speculation, from various sources, about the actual impact on the Balkans environment as a result of the conflict".

Pancevo burns after a raid

"This, the first independent UN-led assessment, will provide the international community with a neutral and scientifically credible report on the situation."

The teams' preliminary report is expected in September.

One of the three groups, to be based in Pristina, will work on creating mechanisms for registering title to land, and on resolving tenancy and property disputes.

Industrial damage

It will also aim to strengthen municipal administration and leadership, and will seek ways of ensuring security of tenure for returning refugees.

The other two groups will make an environmental assessment of the worst-damaged industrial sites, mainly in Serbia.

They plan to visit the Pancevo and Rakovica industrial complexes, the Novi Sad oil refinery, and the Baric chemical plant.

Pollution levels brought out the gas masks

People at Pancevo, 15 kms from Belgrade, say the government has not given them basic information about the effects of the bombing.

Fishing has been banned locally, and in the absence of reliable information rumours abound.

One woman said gynaecologists were advising pregnant women to seek abortions, for fear of bearing deformed infants.

Other local people say they do not know what is safe to eat, because of the pollution emitted by the complex.

Technical support

The teams' itinerary also includes the Zastava car factory at Kragujevac, and oil depots in Kraljevo, Nis and Pristina.

The teams, who will be accompanied by mobile laboratories, may also visit other sites.

They expect to finish their field work by 28 July.

The task force plans to send further missions in August to assess the impact of the war on the river Danube, the region's biological diversity, and on human health.

The task force was set up in May by the head of UNEP, Dr Klaus Toepfer, to look at the effects of the conflict in Serbia and Kosovo, and at its wider regional consequences.