Pakistan seeks int’l support for Afghan refugees’ repatriation

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan seeks the full involvement of international community to complete the process of repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
These views were expressed by a Pakistani delegation headed by Federal Secretary for States and Frontier Regions, Sajid Hussain Chattha with Richard L. Greene, US Assistant Secretary of State on Population, Refugees and Migration on Friday and discussed issues relating to Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in Geneva to attend session of Executive Committee of the UNHCR.
The Secretary expressed the hope that at the strategic consolations on Afghan refugees to be held in Geneva on Saturday, the United States and other donor countries would indicate their willingness to make contributions as burden and responsibility sharing. He informed the US delegation that a donor conference would also be organized in Pakistan in 2006.
The US Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Greene said that Pakistan and US share common understanding on important international and regional issues. He assured full support to Pakistan delegation on these issues concerning Afghan refugees saying, “we are with you, you can count on us”. He stated that United States had been the largest contributor to the cause of Afghan refugees and said, “we will stay as involved as in the past”.
Richard Greene expressed his agreement on Pakistan’s view that three million refugees had extraordinary needs which required international burden and responsibility sharing. He said that US would display serious engagement in the donor’s conference.
A Ministerial meeting of OIC countries will be held here next year to review the grievances of refugees in Muslim countries and to explore their solution.
This was informed by Federal Secretary Sajjad Hussain Chatta, while talking to a delegation of HRCP in Geneva.
He told the delegation that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had already announced that an important ministerial meeting of OIC countries would be held next year in Islamabad to review the problems and difficulties being faced by refugees in Muslim countries.—Agencies