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US Criticizes European Countries for not Helping Afghan Returnees - 2002-08-07


Mr. Dewey told a Kabul news conference Wednesday the international community faces what he called "enormous challenges" in helping Afghanistan deal with history's largest repatriation of people.

Mr. Dewey heads the State Department Bureau for Population, Migration and Refugees. He says one-and-half-million Afghans have come home since the Taleban government fell in December.

Mr. Dewey Said:"The continued flood of refugees and internally displaced persons back to their homes does demonstrate their own faith in the institutions of the government and of the international community in providing for their future. It also shows their faith in the future of Afghanistan."

However, Mr. Dewey says he is disappointed that European Union countries are not giving more support to U-N agencies grappling with the repatriation crisis. Mr. Dewey said "The possible result of this could be the flocking of refugees to the cities, adding to the burden of cities such as Kabul. The worst case, of course, would be for them to go back to Pakistan, or back to Iran."

Mr. Dewey says the United States has had to pick up the shortfall from Europe. For example, the United States provides nearly 100 percent of the food now coming into Afghanistan, through the U-N's World Food Program.

Also at the news conference was Daniel Enders, a U-N refugee official based in Kabul. He says the budget crunch has forced the United Nations to cut its assistance package for repatriated Afghans. He said: "As a first step, we had to lower the assistance for transport. We also had to reduce the non-food item package. We used to give buckets, jerry cans, blankets. These items are no longer given. The original plan to build about 70 thousand houses has been scaled back to 50 thousand. And, that will definitely have an impact, on particularly vulnerable people who will come back and who have difficulties building their own house."

Mr. Dewey says, during a visit to northern Afghanistan, he met representatives of militia leaders Ustad Atta and Abdul Rashid Dostum. He appealed to them to restore peace so that suspended relief operations in the region can resume.

Mr. Dewey said> "We made it very clear that the security situation and the improvements are in their hands to deal with. The law-and-order is in their hands. They can chose to make it better or they can choose to continue to deprive their people of assistance. And I don't know how much louder or more clear we could have made the message."

The United Nations says it has stockpiled food for 250-thousand people, in case fighting or other disruptions occur during the approaching winter.

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