[allAfrica.com] [Africa_2004] Terrorism Must Not Paralyze Humanitarian Agencies, Lubbers Says United States Department of State (Washington, DC) NEWS May 19, 2004 Posted to the web May 20, 2004 By Charles W. Corey Washington, DC UNHCR admits difficulties in missions around the world "Terrorism, and al Qaeda in particular, are real problems," but humanitarian agencies worldwide cannot let these monsters paralyze their vital work, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers warned reporters May 18. Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Lubbers, a former Dutch prime minister, said humanitarian work is difficult enough without having to worry about being targeted by terrorist attacks or politically motivated kidnappings. "We have enough of a challenge in finding water in the middle of the desert in Chad for the 120,000 refugees fleeing Darfur in Western Sudan and finding shelter materials so the 3.3 million Afghans returning home can rebuild their homes and also their lives," he said. Lubbers briefed reporters on his recent trips to Chad, Afghanistan and Iraq during a stopover in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior U.S. officials before traveling to New York. The U.N. official reminded the press that even though "refugees are the world's most vulnerable population," they are also the world's greatest untapped resource. "Think of where the U.S. would be without the great diversity, talents and strengths that past refugee populations from the Pilgrims to the Southeast Asian boat people have brought to America," he said. Although the UNHCR protects and assists some 20 million refugees, Lubbers warned, "the very survival and fate" of those refugees "is jeopardized further by today's heightened security constraints." Speaking forcefully about the security situation worldwide, Lubbers said: "I refuse to allow the 'Iraqization' of humanitarian work! The whole world is not Iraq and UNHCR will not bunker down or seal ourselves off in heavily fortified compounds in every emergency we work in. We must maintain our relationship and trust local populations -- that is the key to our success." The United Nations, Lubbers stressed, has a "vital role to play in today's world, not only in Iraq but everywhere," and "should not be sidelined. "On the contrary," he stated, "if it was ever needed, it is needed now. It is needed to address problems of poverty, disease and particularly the spread of HIV/AIDS; to address problems of racial and religious intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia; to address the problem of weapons of mass destruction. Above all, it is needed to address the profound social injustices that often breed violence, extremism and terrorism in the first place." Lubbers called the situation in Chad "one of the gravest emergencies" in the world today. Yet despite its seriousness, he said, the situation, unfortunately, "lacks sufficient attention and funding from the international community." Some 120,000 refugees have fled the Darfur region of western Sudan into Chad, where they now reside in a 600-kilometer border area that is plagued by regular attacks by Sudanese militia, he told reporters. UNHCR, Lubbers recalled, has moved some 60,000 refugees to six camps farther in country. He described the situation surrounding the Sudan crisis as "quite complex." While the western area is collapsing, progress for peace and reconciliation in the south is taking place after 21 years of civil war, he said, and that may soon encourage the repatriation of some 150,000 Sudanese refugees from neighboring countries. Lubbers declared it "unacceptable to celebrate a peace agreement [for Sudan] while Darfur continues being bombarded and its people terrorized." On Afghanistan, which he visited in April, Lubbers said UNHCR has helped more than three million refugees and internally displaced persons return home, but he warned the country remains "fraught with problems" and riddled with many unsafe areas. "Great difficulty remains in reconciling the need to help millions of Afghans return and rebuild their lives in the context of uncertainty and violence," he said. On Iraq, which he also visited in April, Lubbers said some 10,000 Iraqis have returned from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon since last July. The UNHCR has also facilitated repatriation convoys and more than 5,000 people have returned to Iraq from Iran. Recent security incidents and tensions in southern Iraq have prompted UNHCR to temporarily interrupt its thrice-weekly convoys carrying refugees back from Iran, he said. "Under the current situation, UNHCR is not promoting a return to Iraq. In fact," he said, "the Iraqi government has specifically requested that we urge countries not to encourage or force Iraqis to go back until the situation has improved. Hundreds of thousands of registered Iraqi refugees live in neighboring countries and several million are scattered around the world. "Despite the instability," he noted, "some people are nevertheless going back, mostly to the southern governorates [provinces]." An estimated 120,000 people - - possibly more -- have spontaneously returned to the south, mainly from Iran, he explained. Asked if he views the new security threats against humanitarian workers as temporary or the start of a new era and heightened threat level, he said: "I don't see it as a whole new era. I do think, however, that the world is shaken by al Qaeda terrorism and there is a tendency therefore in the whole system - - the U.N. system, but certainly not just the U.N. -- to become overprotective and to do less. "We think that our work has to relate to people. This means we have to practice security conditions. 'Operate secure' is the motto of UNHCR," which, he said, is now operating at differing levels of security in countries worldwide, depending on local conditions and threat levels. Asked if this increased security funding has adversely impacted refugee assistance funding, he immediately acknowledged, "Security is more expensive these days. ... "We have more security advisors and communications, and if you say does it cost money, yes it costs money and that money could have been used, of course, for a lot of things. Absolutely!" (The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 United States Department of State. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================