DATE=10/25/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N-H-C-R / CHECHNYA (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-255453
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The top U-N refugee official, Sadako Ogata,
has appealed to Russia to re-open the border between
Chechnya and the neighboring republic of Ingushetia.
Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports Ms. Ogata told Russian
authorities of her concern about the rising number of
civilian casualties.
TEXT: In a statement issued in Geneva, Sadako Ogata
expresses alarm about reports of growing civilian
casualties resulting from Russia's military crackdown
in Chechnya. She says she also is concerned about the
fate of tens-of-thousands of terrified civilians
trapped inside Chechnya, following the closure of
Chechnya's border with Ingushetia.
U-N refugee agency spokesman Kris Janowski, says the
border closure essentially has cut off the only major
escape route for people trying to flee the violence.
/// JANOWSKI ACT ONE ///
In a situation like this, our position is that
borders should remain open to people who are
terrified and want to flee. And, there have
been more than 170-thousand people who have
opted to flee. People do not flee for nothing.
They flee because of fear, because they are
terrified, and because they have no other
choice.
/// END ACT ///
Strictly speaking, under terms of the 1952 Refugee
Convention, Russia is not obliged to open the border.
This is because these people are regarded as
internally displaced people and not as refugees.
Nevertheless, Mr. Janowski says that in a humanitarian
crisis, people should not have their escape routes
blocked.
He says the situation in Chechnya is complicated by
the fact there is virtually no international
humanitarian or monitoring presence. International
aid workers will not go to the region for fear of
being taken hostage or killed.
Mr. Janowski says refugee agency chief Ogata has
expressed her concern about the border closure to
Russian authorities in Moscow.
/// JANOWSKI ACT TWO ///
They are telling us that this is temporary, that
this is just for a few days because they want to
upgrade their border registration system. This
is not the kind of situation, in our view, where
upgrade of a system can be carried out. It is a
very dramatic situation with many thousands of
people fleeing. And, the border should remain
open for these people to be able to flee.
/// END ACT ///
The U-N refugee agency says this is the most acute
humanitarian crisis in the northern Caucuses since the
1994-95 war in Chechnya. During the past four-weeks,
the agency has sent four large humanitarian convoys to
help Ingushetia deal with the influx of tens-of-
thousands of Chechen refugees.
Mr. Janowski says many thousands of people are living
in tents or run-down buildings. He calls the aid that
has been sent to the area just a drop in an ocean of
need. (SIGNED)
NEB/LS/JWH/ltd/RAE
25-Oct-1999 13:20 PM EDT (25-Oct-1999 1720 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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