Military

DATE=04/12/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=UNHCR/IOM/AFGHAN RETURNS (L)

NUMBER=2-288656

BYLINE=DALE GAVLAK

DATELINE=GENEVA

INTERNET=YES

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United Nation refugee chief travels today (Friday) to Iran where

he begins an eight-day mission in the region to witness the largest Afghan

repatriation effort underway. Dale Gavlak has the story from the U-N

humanitarian headquarters in Geneva.

TEXT: The U-N refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, says some 223-thousand Afghan

refugees have returned home since the start of a voluntary assisted

repatriation program six weeks ago. But the agency says it is concerned

whether conditions are in place for them to stay.

U-N-H-C-R head Ruud Lubbers will be visiting Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan

to see first hand how the repatriation is going. The agency's spokesman, Ron

Redmond, says Mr. Lubbers wants to know that the growing numbers of Afghans

going home will be receiving longer term support to rebuild their lives in

Afghanistan.

///LUBBERS ACT///

He also wants to emphasize and have a look at the conditions that are

existing in there to ensure that those people who are going back can make it

sustainable. In other words, we can help these people get back but they

also have got to have the basic infrastructure in place once they do get

home to ensure that they can stay there and really make a go of it.

///END ACT///

There are over three and a half million Afghan refugees living in Iran and

Pakistan. The International Organization for Migration, I-O-M, is assisting the U-N

refugee agency with some 400-thousand Afghans expected to return home from

Iran this year. I-O-M helps the refugees go to their hometowns once they reach the Afghan border.

I-O-M spokeswoman Niurka Pineiro says her agency has so far helped

45-thousand internally displaced Afghans return home since January. But, she

warns, I-O-M may have to close down its repatriation operations at the

end of the month because it is running out of money.

///PINERIO ACT///

We have a terrible funding crisis. We will be at zero on the 30th of April

for care and maintenance and transportation money. So that means that we

will dramatically curtail the return of I-D-Ps and the care and maintenance

that we provide to those who are still in the camps.

///END ACT///

Ms. Pineiro says I-O-M is launching an appeal for 21 million dollars to

continue the return and integration of Afghans to their homes. (Signed)

NEB/DG/SAB