• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=3/29/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N / AFGHAN REPATRIATION (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-260723
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  The United Nations has started the voluntary 
repatriation of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.  
Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports 350-refugees are ready 
to follow a first group of 450-Afghans that left 
Pakistan for Afghanistan on Monday.
TEXT:  The U-N Refugee Agency calls this the start of 
the repatriation season in Afghanistan.  It says the 
returns will continue until October when the weather 
turns cold.
U-N-H-C-R spokesman, Kris Janowski, says if everything 
goes well, the agency hopes to repatriate about 200-
thousand Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran this 
year.
            /// JANOWSKI ACT ///
      The Taleban have made a number of declarations 
      in connection with the return, declaring that 
      these people will not be harassed, will not be 
      persecuted and will be exempt from any kind of 
      military duty for a year after returning.  The 
      returnees are getting 100 U-S dollars per family 
      and 300-kilograms of wheat and plastic sheeting 
      as a sort of start-up package.  
            /// END ACT ///
The ruling Taleban group controls most of Afghanistan.  
Afghans comprise the single largest refugee group in 
the world.  There are still two-point-six million 
Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran.  Last year, more 
than 92-thousand Afghan refugees returned home from 
Pakistan and more than 77-thousand from Iran.  In 
Pakistan, some Afghan refugees are living in villages 
established for them, but most are dispersed inside 
the country.
Another U-N-H-C-R spokesman, Jacques Franquin, says 
the problems facing Afghan refugees are more economic 
than political.
            /// FRANQUIN ACT ///
      I am not going to say that the Taleban regime is 
      the most fantastic regime in the world.  Surely 
      not.  And, I can understand that some people 
      have reason to claim for asylum and for refugee 
      status.  However, I must say that much of the 
      Afghan living in Pakistan and Iran are there for 
      economical reasons. 
            /// END ACT ///
Mr. Franquin says the U-N Refugee Agency has received 
no reports of returned refugees having been harassed.  
He says most of the people are returning to the 
countryside and have no problem integrating.  
He says the main concern is for the way the ruling 
Taleban treats women and girls.  He says the agency is 
particularly concerned that girls are not allowed to 
go to school.  He says the agency keeps trying to get 
the Taleban to allow girls to get an education.   
(SIGNED)
NEB/LS/GE/RAE 
29-Mar-2000 09:03 AM EDT (29-Mar-2000 1403 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.