The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=7101&Cr=iraq&Cr1=refugees UN officials focus on problem of Iraqi refugees, both internal and external 16 May - United Nations officials turned their attention to the problem of Iraqi refugees today, calling for the return of or compensation for up to 1 million people displaced internally by Saddam Hussein, and preparing for the repatriation of up to 500,000 exiles from outside the country. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Representative on Internally Displaced Persons, Francis M. Deng, said the UN should be asked to help in resolving the issue of internal refugees, including 600,000 to 700,000 Kurds in northern Iraq, more than 100,000 Kurds, Turkmen and Assyrians in the Kirkuk area, tens of thousands of Arab Shiites in the centre and south, and 100,000 to 200,000 Marsh Arabs in the south. At the same time, any solution had to assure fairness for more than 200,000 Arabs brought into the north by Mr. Hussein's regime to replace the Kurds, Mr. Deng said in a statement in Geneva. "Forced displacement is one of the more insidious assaults on human rights and can undermine and violate ethnic identity and dignity. The quicker the displacement can be acknowledged and addressed, the more likely it will be that stability and unity will be brought to Iraq," he added. He said reconstruction and development funds, including oil revenues, should be used to help people return or obtain compensation for land and property lost but in either case "fairness must be assured for the more than 200,000 Arabs" brought into the Kirkuk area. "To help these diverse groups better manage their returns and their competing land and property claims, the United Nations should be requested to assist, given its experience in this area," Mr. Deng declared. "It could provide objective advice and assistance with returns and help set up effective claims commissions to adjudicate property disputes." On the question of external refugees, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the agency was preparing for the return of up to 500,000 Iraqis, mainly from Iran and Jordan. UNHCR was now operating in Iraq's three main regions, and was also checking on thousands of internal foreign refugees, mainly Palestinians and Iranians, many of whom had been evicted from their homes while others wanted to repatriate due to tension with host communities, spokesman Kris Janowski said in Geneva. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk