THIRD COMMITTEE CONCLUDES DEBATE ON REFUGEE ISSUES
Press Release
GA/SHC/3375
THIRD COMMITTEE CONCLUDES DEBATE ON REFUGEE ISSUES
19961104 The refugee crisis in the Great Lakes region of Africa illustrated the many difficult dilemmas confronting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the middle of highly charged political situations, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) was told this afternoon, as it concluded its debate on refugee issues and humanitarian questions.A representative of UNHCR, Soren Jensen Petersen, said the crisis also showed that without political will, humanitarian action could complicate or prolong conflicts. The UNHCR must continue to build links to political and developmental institutions and processes. Otherwise, lasting solutions to the complex crises of displacement could not be achieved.
The UNHCR was encouraged by the example of Mexico and Guatemala, as they solved the problem of the remaining Guatemalan refugees through voluntary repatriation and local integration, he continued. Domestic laws that formed the basis of international protection were needed. Lithuania's national refugee legislation was encouraging, he added.
The representative of Lithuania outlined his country's new legislation on refugees and asylum seekers. The law established conditions and procedures for granting refugee status to asylum seekers and also provided legal and social guarantees for the protection of refugees.
A number of speakers stressed the importance of sharing the burden of refugees to alleviate the negative ecological and economic impact of refugee influxes in developing countries. The UNHCR must focus attention on the plight of the women and children who comprised the majority of the world's refugee population, they said.
Other statements were made by Eritrea, Kenya, Liberia, Kazakstan, Iran, Nepal, Indonesia, Algeria, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Morocco, Cote D'Ivoire, Yemen, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Jordan, India, Cyprus and Tanzania.
Sudan, Nepal and Bhutan spoke in exercise of the right of reply.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 5 November, to begin joint consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the right of peoples to self-determination.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to conclude its discussions on the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions. (For background, see Press Release GA/SHC/3371, of 31 October.)
Statements
GHIRMAI GHEBREMARIAM (Eritrea) said the welfare of some 300,000 Eritrean refugees was endangered by the non-compliance of the Sudanese authorities to the humanitarian principles of the international conventions to which they were party. The organized voluntary repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Eritreans had been frustrated because the Sudanese Government refused to respect the agreement reached with UNHCR to facilitate their return. The international community, particularly UNHCR, had the legal and moral responsibility to protect the universal humanitarian principles from violation by the misconduct of any of United Nations Member States. While the non- political and non-partisan character of UNHCR must be fully respected, its role as a guardian of refugees could not be overlooked.
Eritrean refugees in the Sudan were entitled to protection, safe and orderly voluntary repatriation and assistance in restoring their normal social and economic life, he said. The Eritrean Government asked the United Nations and its Member States to adopt measures to enable the resumption of orderly repatriations. In addition, the United Nations, its Member States and other concerned agencies should increase their concerted assistance to the programme of voluntary repatriation and reintegration. That was the only durable solution to the suffering of the Eritrean refugees in the Sudan. It would also greatly contribute to the regional peace, international stability and social and economic progress.
NELLIE CHEPKIOS MUTAI (Kenya) said the deteriorating political situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa had exacerbated the horrific plight of refugees there. A political solution was required. Her Government appreciated the Secretary-General's current efforts to send his Special Envoy, Raymond Chretien, to find a way, in conjunction with regional leaders, to stop the conflict. Those efforts needed the support of the international community. The problems in the Great Lakes region were already a significant threat to peace and security and had created more refugees, returnees and displaced persons. Countries of asylum were excessively burdened by the huge inflows of people who had contributed to social and economic instability and donor patience might be wearing thin.
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She said her Government appreciated UNHCR efforts to implement small, community-based assistance programmes to pave the way for repatriation and resettlement and accelerate the rehabilitation process. It was also grateful for the agency's active support of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development. She hoped the support would play a decisive role in peace- building, as an essential precondition for subregional stability, security and sustainable socio-economic development.
WILLIAM BULL (Liberia) said in countries emerging from crisis, such as Liberia, the transition from war to peace was a long and difficult undertaking that required sustained international support in such key areas as disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, rehabilitation and national reconstruction. In recognition of the interface of relief, rehabilitation and development, UNHCR had increasingly taken the lead in implementing its quick impact projects as a way of initiating the rehabilitation process. Those programmes had proven to be successful in several countries and suggested how, in collaboration with other United Nations bodies, the critical needs of those countries could be addressed. Therefore, the establishment of an effective collaboration mechanism would be indispensable if such projects were to realize their full potential.
Women, children and the elderly were the most affected groups in most civil conflicts, and it was those groups who most often had to flee their countries and seek sanctuary abroad as refugees, he said. While most countries of asylum were to be commended for their assistance to refugees within their borders, it must also be stressed that they had a moral responsibility and legal obligation to honour international conventions to which they were parties. Therefore, the protection of the rights of refugees and displaced persons seeking sanctuary must be respected. Those innocent victims should not be subjected to the same harsh and inhumane treatment abroad that precipitated their original decision to flee.
AKMARAL ARYSTANBEKOVA (Kazakstan), said the recent conference held in Geneva on immigration problems in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had helped highlight the difficulties and possible solutions. In her country, migrant outflows were influenced by many factors, including socio-economic conditions and a drop in living standards. The majority of migrants from Kazakstan were prompted by cultural factors. People of certain ethnic origins might wish to return to their historical homelands, such as Germany. Deteriorating environmental conditions were also responsible for the movement of people. The plight of immigrants was also exacerbated by the drop of social benefits and the general decline in economic conditions. There had been forced migrations, too.
On the other hand, improved economic trends and political stability in her country had prompted the return of many migrants, she said. Immigration
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to her country was connected to history. In the past, there had been massive outflows of people. Now, those Kazaks wanted to return home. She thanked UNHCR for its assistance in resolving problems associated with immigrant flows. However, she noted a mistake in the UNHCR report, which referred to assistance to refugees of Kazakstan. That assistance was for returnees and it was a restoration of justice to those who had previously been forced to leave their homes. Currently, the Government was attempting to establish mechanisms to stabilize the flow of people.
SEYED HOSSEIN REZVANI (Iran) said the unprecedented increase in the number and magnitude of humanitarian emergencies had introduced constraints on the capacities and resources of UNHCR and other international humanitarian organizations, which prevented them from focusing on the transition from relief to development. Concurrently, the donor community had lost the incentive to contribute to the programmes for rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. Strengthening the coordination of humanitarian assistance in the United Nations system and attempting to achieve a better interface between relief, rehabilitation and development could be an endeavour towards durable solutions. Creating a broader relationship between UNHCR and international development and financial institutions was also of vital importance.
He said Iran continued to host the largest refugee population in the world -- more than 2.1 million. Addressing the refugee problems required the comprehensive and uninterrupted attention of all the international, regional and national actors. In recent decades the role of non-governmental organizations, as partners in action in emergency situations and post-crisis, had been given more importance. He welcomed that partnership. His Government also continued to attach special attention to the situation of women, children and vulnerable groups of Afghan refugees. Nevertheless, the present situation required UNHCR and other international relief organizations to assume more financial responsibilities.
PADAM NARAYAN CHOUDHARY (Nepal) said his Government was pleased that UNHCR was giving particular attention to priority areas, such as the needs of women and children, as well as to environmental issues resulting from the presence of large numbers of refugees in countries of asylum. The global memorandum of understanding between UNHCR and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was a significant move in the area of inter-agency coordination.
His country was faced with the burden of 200,000 refugees who were living in camps in eastern Nepal, he continued. His Government was grateful to UNHCR for its continued assistance and it upheld the right of every refugee to return to his or her homeland safely and with dignity. Nepal would also make every effort to solve the problem of Bhutanese refugees through mutual discussion and understanding. The presence of a large number of refugees in countries of asylum, particularly least-developed ones like his own, led to
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further degradation of the environment and social conditions. In such conditions, the need to resolve refugee problems wherever they existed was urgent.
WIWIEK SETYOWATI (Indonesia) said her Government was concerned by the real, potential and perceived burden of protecting refugees, resulting in the denial of asylum and, at times, the forcible return of refugees to countries of origin. Such developments presented UNHCR with serious difficulties and must be resolved. Therefore, she welcomed the recognition of the need for international solidarity and burden-sharing with countries of asylum, which were often developing countries with limited resources.
The Government was also encouraged that UNHCR was taking the initiative to bridge the gap between the inter-agency and inter-governmental processes, she said. Only through a genuine partnership with the intergovernmental process could Member States begin to mitigate the consequences of refugee situations and move towards lasting solutions and prevention. Such cooperation would facilitate the necessary level of support and a convergence of views that would enable a coherent strategy. That procedure should be followed in all activities undertaken by the United Nations system, consistent with the international cooperation envisaged in the United Nations Charter. She welcomed the general direction being taken by UNHCR in responding to its current multitude of challenges.
ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria), said the recent extraordinary worldwide growth in telecommunications could not replace communication between people, which was vital to help solve humanitarian problems and crises. The UNHCR, despite its courageous efforts, could not overcome the problems of refugees and displaced persons by itself. There was a serious gap between available resources and the assistance provided by the international community. That would only result in a more precarious situation in countries of the South. He said his Government had initiated plans to help refugees from Mali and Niger and assist Saharan refugees until there was a final settlement in the question of the Western Sahara. Economic problems and conflict in the northern regions of Mali and Niger had displaced people into the southern parts of his country. He called on the countries concerned to overcome the conditions that had caused the refugee movements in the region. His Government had come to an agreement with Mali and Niger to assist the refugees under the auspices of the UNHCR. Algeria would continue to contribute resources to help overcome the suffering of refugees and displaced persons, as well as to deal with the underlying conditions that caused displacement.
ASDA JAYANAMA (Thailand) said the best solution to the refugee problem was the prevention of the causes that forced people to flee. He supported the United Nations attempt to further develop the system of early warning, monitoring and reporting in combatting the refugee problem and urged all
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parties concerned at all levels, including non-governmental organizations, to work in tandem. However, UNHCR must not be left to shoulder its burden alone, for the refugee problem was the responsibility of the entire international community. The international community should remain involved in the issue and provide UNHCR with all the resources required to overcome the daunting problem of refugees and displaced persons worldwide.
A durable solution to the refugee problem must be comprehensive and based on the spirit of international burden-sharing, without undue burden being placed on any party in particular, he said. Such a solution must reflect the political will and the interest of all parties concerned. Further, it must link the immediate objective of relief to the long-term strategy of rehabilitation and development. Finally, it must involve all key actors, including countries of origin, and address the root causes of the refugee problem.
ZAMIRA ESHMAMBETOVA (Kyrgystan) said her Government was pleased with the work of UNHCR in settling refugees in many areas of the world, including South East Asia and Mozambique, as well as its continuing efforts to deal with the crisis in the Great Lakes region of Africa. In the former Yugoslavia, the resettlement of refugees during peace was proving to be a different kind of problem compared to UNHCR's large-scale assistance to refugees and displaced persons provided during the conflict. The repatriation plan was much more complex than originally thought and UNHCR's efforts were complicated by the lack of freedom of movement, continuing ethnic differences and the military situation.
She said just before the recent CIS conference in Geneva, her Government had acceded to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The Conference had given a practical scope to prevention and deterrence measures, she said. The UNHCR's offices in her country would assist the Government in dealing with refugee problems in a number of ways, including help to devise appropriate legislation, advice to immigration officials, the police, security forces and the prosecutor's office. It would also help in creating an awareness of immigration issues among the local population and aid the immigrants themselves. The agency would monitor the situation to prevent hostilities between the local population and refugees from Tajikistan. Shortages of food, medicine, as well as drug trafficking, created tensions and needed ongoing attention by the international community. She called for increased UNHCR funding and small, income-generating projects that would help people during periods of unemployment.
UGYEN TSHERING (Bhutan) said his Government attached great importance to the work of UNHCR and lauded its efforts in working for a durable solution to the refugee problem. However, the capacity of UNHCR to deal with the approximately 1 million refugees in the Great Lakes region was being
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challenged. Therefore, Bhutan welcomed the efforts of UNHCR to enhance its capacities through internal reform and its undertaking of extensive country reviews.
The increase of conflicts and civil strife were not the only causes of refugee problems throughout the world, he said. Poverty, illegal immigration and environmental and other development problems must also be addressed, if countries were to solve the problem. Regarding the people in the camps of Nepal who said they were citizens of Nepal -- those people were actually naturalized Nepalese citizens. Bhutan was a small country with a good population-to-land ratio and relatively good economic prospects. Therefore, immigrants flocked to Bhutan and the country could no longer absorb all of those immigrants. The Government welcomed efforts by Nepal in reaching a solution to that problem. He believed, because of the valued friendship that existed between the two countries, they would come to a speedy and just agreement.
AHMED SNOUSSI (Morocco) said international concern was growing in the face of the various situations, conflicts and movements of refugees throughout the world. Those situations required extensive and sustained help from the international community, which must now focus attention on African refugees and the threats to the host countries.
The causes of refugee problems were not limited to political tensions, he said. They also involved other instability factors, particularity natural disasters. His Government gave constant support to the repatriation approach and hoped that the work of UNHCR in Asia and central and eastern Europe would continue to help the persons concerned and ensure their return in freedom and safety.
RENE KRA KRA (Cote I'Ivoire) said that his Government was continuing to give assistance to some 350,000 Liberian refugees. That figure did not take into account the large numbers of Liberians living in the cities. The refugees were not isolated in camps, but were permitted to live among the local population. They had full freedom of movement and the right to participate in agriculture and other income-generating activities. The UNHCR and the World Health Organization (WHO) and other donors had envisaged ending the general distribution of food, because many Liberian refugees had integrated into the general population and were no longer in need. However, many villages had populations of refugees that exceeded the original number of village inhabitants. That was causing problems.
He said increasing attacks and raids by Liberian fighters into his country's territory had sorely tested the peaceful coexistence between local populations and the refugees. The Government was concerned by the stress on the local economy and environment and asked non-governmental organizations not
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to be complacent, as their help was still needed. A humanitarian disaster was looming in the Great Lakes region of Africa. He appealed to the international community to take urgent, concrete measures to address it.
AMIR SALEM (Yemen), objected to the number of refugees reportedly in his country cited in the UNHCR report. Despite the continued burdens placed by thousands of expatriates who had returned after the war in the Persian Gulf and more than 60,000 Somali refugees and others, his Government had provided refugees with shelter and help. In cooperation with UNHCR, it had built camps for the refugees, including one to hold 9,000 people who had been displaced from another camp in 1994. The refugees far outnumbered the figures cited in the UNHCR report. He called on the international community to assist his Government. The developing countries received thousands of refugees and their efforts must be aided by the international community.
He said there had been a huge flow of fugitives and illegal refugees into his country and his Government reserved the right to handle the situation in a way that would suit the best interests of everyone concerned. He called for a regional conference on the refugee situation in the horn of Africa.
FATEHYAB ALI KHAN (Pakistan) said that since 1994 hundreds of thousands of Afghans had been internally displaced after the escalation of factional fighting among rival Afghan groups in Kabul. Over 200,000 took refuge in Pakistan. The UNHCR, however, registered only 85,000 of those fresh refugees. In view of UNHCR's policy and Pakistan's financial constraints, the Government was obliged to close the border to all new arrivals. That action averted the arrival of 300,000 more refugees, most of whom were internally displaced persons temporarily encamped in Jalalabad. The return of those internally displaced persons to their areas of origin, their reintegration and resettlement must be given priority by UNHCR and other United Nations agencies.
The will to commit resources and personnel to bring about repatriation of the Afghan refugees appeared to be missing, he said. Pakistan had been pressed to accept local integration. The Government, however, could not consider that a solution for the Afghan refugees. The manner in which assistance to the Afghan refugees had been slashed, evidently as a preplanned strategy for implementing local integration as a solution, was alarming. That strategy must be discontinued and solutions sought for the return of refugees to their homes in safety and honour. The refugee crises transcended national boundaries. The United Nations must play a more assertive role in preventing and resolving conflicts that caused refugee movements. The Organization should use its existing mechanisms of preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping and peace-building to avert humanitarian disaster.
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FIKRET MAMADALI PASHAYEV (Azerbaijan) said as a result of Armenia's aggression and continued occupation of one-fifth of his country's territory, there were more than 1 million refugee and displaced persons in Azerbaijan. The result had been catastrophic. The refugee problem was exacerbated because the country's economy was in transition, with high inflation, unemployment and a drop in production. Such factors had inhibited the Government's ability to aid the refugees. A joint United Nations mission in February, organized by the Department for Humanitarian Affairs, had investigated the situation. The UNHCR's activities were geared towards helping the neediest people. However, he appealed to the agency to increase its assistance, without which it would be impossible to continue to improve refugee conditions. He also appealed to donors not to decrease their aid.
He said the May conference in Geneva of countries of CIS had addressed the need for concrete, practical programmes to deal with refugees and displaced persons in the region. His Government welcomed any regional conferences or meetings that would help overcome the problems caused by refugee flows and that fostered economic and social conditions to speed their return. The international community must take more resolute, concrete action, so that conditions did not become protracted and divert assistance from donors. His Government supported managerial and structural reform efforts by UNHCR.
ZIED RAAD AL HUSSEIN (Jordan) said the agenda item dealing with a new international humanitarian order had suffered from benign neglect in recent years. It was time to build on existing mechanisms, norms and principles, in order to respond more effectively to new challenges. The idea was not to replace the humanitarian infrastructure, but rather to address the new dimensions of the old problems, as well as the grey areas in the humanitarian paradigm that menaced human lives and dignity.
There was a growing awareness of the disturbing increase in complex humanitarian emergencies and the assistance they called for, while durable solutions remained evasive and preventive strategies fell short of expectations, he said. In that context, he wanted to emphasize four points whose value and validity were already universally recognized: the importance of preventive action in addition to curative measures taken during humanitarian emergencies; the importance of national and regional action before humanitarian problems were internationalized; the need to strengthen local and regional capacities to develop mechanisms of self-reliance; and, the need to develop more effective measures to increase international cooperation on the principle of burden-sharing.
RYTIS PAULAUSKAS (Lithuania), said his country had adopted a law on refugees that was fully consistent with the provisions of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The law established
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conditions and procedures for granting refugee status to asylum seekers. It also provided legal and social guarantees for the protection of refugees and assigned relevant competencies to institutions responsible for refugee matters. The newly-established Refugee Appeal Board collected data and analyzed information on migration processes and acted as an institution for refugee appeals. The Government had also adopted new regulations on: the crossing of State borders by foreigners; asylum-seeking; personal identification and travel documents for asylum seekers; and financing refugee needs. Those regulations would complement the 1992 immigration and emigration law.
He said illegal immigration and trafficking in migrants was a threat to stability in the region, including to the Baltic States. Increased organized crime activity related to the illicit transfer of migrants to western European and Nordic countries via Lithuania was one reason the Government had taken urgent measures to protect its borders. However, it supported readmission as a key instrument for the effective prevention of illegal migration, including trafficking of immigrants. He invited Belarus and the Russian Federation to move forward from informal consultations to negotiations on and conclusion of readmission agreements with his Government.
RENUKA CHOWDHURY (India) said the most urgent tasks facing the international community when addressing the refugee problem were reaffirming, strengthening and extending the international protection regime and looking for realistic, feasible and durable solutions, while bearing in mind the specific restraints faced by developing asylum countries. The international community must show a clear commitment to facilitate the creation of conditions in countries of origin that could permit refugees to return in safety and dignity, anchor them securely in their communities and discourage further outflows. The UNHCR's community-based assistance programmes with particular emphasis on women, its promotion of quick-impact projects, and its efforts at advance planning and coordination with other international agencies were salutary initiatives.
The line between political refugee and economic migrant was becoming increasingly blurred, she said. Contemporary refugee movements were taking place against a backdrop of larger and more complex migratory flows. The instances of economic migrants fleeing poverty and starvation brought into focus the need for long-term sustainable development in the countries of origin. Emergency relief deservedly evoked donor response, but if it occurred at the cost of long-term developmental assistance, a vicious cycle was perpetuated. Humanitarian action should support long-term development, if durable solutions were going to be found. In that context, it was distressing to note that appeals to address the huge environmental and other damage in eastern Zaire and in parts of Tanzania, such as those by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNHCR, had gone largely unheeded.
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KORNELIOS S. KORNELIOU (Cyprus), aligned himself with the statement by the European Union. His Government was very concerned with the deteriorating situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa and considered the implementation of the provisions of the Dayton Peace Agreement for the return of refugees vitally important. Despite successes with the return of refugees to their country of origin -- mostly to Afghanistan, Mozambique and Myanmar -- a better understanding of the root causes of mass movements was needed. Prevention was the most durable solution and for that reason the international community must intensify its efforts to identify the occurrences that led to new waves of refugees.
While conditions must be created to help refugees and displaced persons rebuild their lives elsewhere, their right to return to their homes and properties was inalienable and could not be taken away, he said. One of the most tragic components of the Cyprus problem was that of the internally displaced. In 1974 about 200,000 Greek Cypriots and 40,000 Turkish Cypriots became refugees in their homeland, due to the Turkish invasion and continued occupation of the northern part of Cyprus. Ever since, not a single refugee had been allowed by the occupation forces to return home. A number of findings and resolutions by various United Nations bodies, including the Security Council, had called for the return of refugees back to their ancestral land under conditions of safety.
RADHIYA N. MSUYA (United Republic of Tanzania) said the large influx of refugees into Tanzania -- caused by the ongoing situation in the Great Lakes region -- had had a negative impact on the delivery of social services to the local population, damaged the environment and over-burdened the infrastructure. The presence of such a large group of refugees had also caused social tensions, which, in the long run, risked undermining the spirit of solidarity that had underpinned the hospitality to refugees for the last three decades of Tanzania's independence. The lack of progress in repatriation had exacerbated the tension in the camps and perpetuated the burden on the refugee hosting countries. Therefore, reinforced international solidarity and burden-sharing through third country resettlement would alleviate the burden on the asylum countries.
The international community must make a concerted effort to address the refugee problem by taking into account the disproportionate burden being shouldered by a few countries, she said. Such a course of action would serve to secure greater respect for and implementation of the international instrument to provide protection for those in need of asylum. In addition, it would stem the increasing tendency towards xenophobia. Her country subscribed to the need for the respect for and promotion of human rights through the rule of law and the access to social and economic development. However, respect for human rights and the rule of law could not be sustained where the right to development could not be assured.
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SOREN JENSEN PETERSEN, a representative of UNHCR, said the crisis in the Great Lakes region of Africa illustrated the many difficult dilemmas the Agency confronted in providing humanitarian protection and assistance and seeking solutions in the middle of highly charged political situations. It also illustrated the fundamental need for political will to solve bitter conflicts that were the immediate cause of many refugee problems. Without political will, humanitarian action could become hostage to conflict or, worse, could complicate or prolong it. While peace in the Great Lakes region could not be imposed from the outside, it must be vigorously supported by the international community. Without politicizing humanitarian action, UNHCR must continue to build links to political and developmental institutions and processes at the international and regional levels. Otherwise, lasting solutions to the complex crises of displacement could not be achieved.
Although voluntary repatriation was the preferred solution to refugee problems, combining repatriation with local integration and resettlement could help the international community move forward faster, he continued. The UNHCR was encouraged by Mexico and Guatemala's example in providing solutions to remaining Guatemalan refugees through voluntary repatriation and local integration. The UNHCR was trying to increase the limited number of interested countries to enhance and diversify opportunities for such solutions. The scope and duration of UNHCR humanitarian rehabilitation and returnee efforts must dovetail with development planning. More attention must be paid to burden-sharing to reduce the negative ecological and economic impact of refugee influxes in the developing world. Protection problems arose when burden-sharing failed. Building the capacity of local institutions, including non-governmental organizations, could help prevent refugee situations.
He said protection standards must guide work with refugees, from the moment they fled until they returned home or settled elsewhere. Continuous efforts were needed to develop the legal framework that provided the basis for international protection. Lithuania's national refugee legislation was encouraging in that respect. He said the agency was enhancing its cooperation with UNICEF within the framework of their recently concluded memorandum of understanding. It was also revising and enhancing its agreements with other United Nations agencies.
Right of Reply
The representative of Sudan, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said the statement made by the representative of Eritrea concerning his Government's obstruction of the voluntary repatriation of Eritrean refugees was baseless. In fact, the opposite was true. The Sudanese Government had appealed to the Eritrean Government to sign a trilateral agreement in order to
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facilitate voluntary repatriation. In addition, numerous refugees had refused to return home because they had never received sufficient guarantees for their safety.
The Sudanese Government reaffirmed its willingness to conclude a trilateral agreement enabling Eritrean refugees to return to their homes, he said. Did the Eritrean Government want to sign such an agreement? he asked. The UNHCR's continued ability to inspect the well-being of Eritrean refugees in the Sudan was a full refutation of Eritrea's charges to the contrary.
The representative of Nepal, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said his delegation's earlier statement was for the express purpose of commenting on the report of UNHCR, and the question of refugees in Nepal was discussed, in full, in two separate sections of the report. His Government appreciated the statement of the representative of Bhutan. However, he wished to add that Bhutan and Nepal had completed seven rounds of talks, and his Government was awaiting signals from Bhutan for the eighth round of negotiations. The topics raised by the representative of Bhutan were the subject of those bilateral discussions.
The representative of Bhutan, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said he agreed that substantive issues had not been raised and were the subject of the bilateral discussions. His government had received two invitations to the eighth round of talks. And, in his earlier statement, he, too, was referring to UNHCR's report.
The representative of Nepal said he appreciated the understanding of the representative of Bhutan on the agreement and of the views expressed.
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