DATE=9/13/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=PAK / UNHCR (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-266438
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=ISLAMABAD
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: With the hope of highlighting the ongoing
refugee problem in and around Afghanistan, the U-N
High Commissioner for Refugees is about to begin a
four-day visit to South Asia. As Correspondent Scott
Anger reports from Islamabad, the relentless civil war
in Afghanistan is producing more refugees, despite U-N
efforts to end the conflict and repatriate millions of
people.
TEXT: The United Nations says the Afghan refugee
crisis remains the longest running and the largest in
the world. U-N High Commissioner for Refugees Sadaka
Ogata's visit, which begins Thursday, is aimed at
focusing world attention on the continuing crisis.
Yusuf Hassan is a spokesman for the UNHCR in Pakistan.
/// HASSAN ACT ///
I think it (refugee crisis) has not received the
kind of attention it deserves. And I think
because the situation in Afghanistan has not
changed, the refugees in Pakistan and Iran do
deserve the support of the international
community. And we hope the High Commissioners
visit will put some focus on their predicament
and give them the attention they need from the
international community.
/// END ACT ///
Two decades of civil war in Afghanistan has forced
millions of people to flee the country. The United
Nations has been repatriating large numbers of these
refugees, but the world body says there are about two-
point-six-million Afghan refugees still living in
neighboring Iran and Pakistan.
During a planned overnight trip to Afghanistan, Ms.
Ogata will visit the western city of Herat, where the
United Nations has returned about 90-thousand refugees
from Iran.
But Mr. Hassan says the United Nations is concerned
about the recent escalation in fighting between
Afghanistan's ruling Taleban movement and opposition
forces in the northern part of the country.
/// HASSAN ACT TWO ///
We are aware of the fact there are a large
number of people who have been displaced by the
escalation of the conflict there, and we are
concerned this conflict may turn many of them
into refugees, and we are watching the
situation.
/// END ACT TWO ///
In addition to the civil war, Afghanistan is also
facing the worst drought in 30-years, which has caused
further displacements inside the country. U-N
officials say tens-of-thousands of people have been
forced from their homes in an attempt to survive the
dry conditions. The world body says serious efforts
must be undertaken before the onset of winter to avert
a larger humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
(SIGNED)
NEB/SA/RAE
13-Sep-2000 07:57 AM EDT (13-Sep-2000 1157 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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