From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Mar 01 2001 - 10:22:30 EST
DUSHANBE CANNOT ACCEPT AFGHAN REFUGEES FOR ECONOMIC REASONS - TAJIK VICE
PM
MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - Tajikistan cannot accommodate Afghan
refugees located on islands along the frontier river Pyandzh.
"Tajikistan has only come out of the state of civil war," Tajik
Deputy Prime Minister Saidanvar Zukhurov said in an interview with
Nezavisimaya Gazeta published on Wednesday. "We still cannot find
shelter for our own refugees, guarantee them bearable living
conditions," he said.
Zukhurov said the Tajik authorities are rendering the assistance
they can to refugees and are ready to continue this with the help of
international bodies.
Besides, terrorists and smugglers trained at special camps in
Afghanistan may enter Tajikistan under the guise of refugees, he
assumed. "Drugs, arms, instruments of terrorism and sabotage may start
flowing into the country," he said.
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