IRIN interview with immigration emergency coordinator

As the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Afghanistan, the United Nations estimates that up to 1.5 million Afghans could attempt to flee into neighbouring countries, including some 400,000 to Iran and one million to Pakistan. While much is known about the latter, the story in Iran lies largely untold. According to the Bureau of Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs Office (BAFIA), part of the Iranian interior ministry, and the coordinating body for refugee affairs, there are currently 2.7 million Afghans living in the country, whereby Iran says it hosts the greatest number of Afghan refugees in the world today. While there are 30 refugee camps in Iran, after more than two decades of war in Afghanistan, 95 percent of Afghans have integrated themselves into Iranian society. In an interview with IRIN, Behrouz Permon, the BAFIA emergency refugee coordinator in the Iranian capital, Tehran, reiterated his country's concern over the current crisis, calling for greater assistance from the international humanitarian community. He believes Iran receives a fraction of the humanitarian assistance Pakistan receives, a phenomenon he described as "discriminatory". For years, Iran has been one of the most generous contributors in humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, but under the current crisis, remains determined to prevent more refugees from entering the country. While the UN has called on Iran to open its borders in the event of an influx, Tehran has proposed the establishment of some eight camps inside Afghan territory along the Iranian border area instead - something which could prove particularly problematic in the future for the humanitarian community. QUESTION: According to a report on Tuesday by IRNA [the official Iranian national news agency], some 20,000 Afghan refugees have crossed into the Islamic Republic of Iran [IRI] since the beginning of US-led retaliatory strikes on the country. Can you confirm those figures with us? ANSWER: The report by IRNA is not correct. Given the closure of the border between Iran and Afghanistan, such statistics are not true. Q: Can you update us on the current situation on the border? Is the border still closed? If so, is there any possibility of reopening it? A: As you might know, Iran has a 900 km border with Afghanistan. Considering the fact that IRI has no more capacity for any further refugees, the policy of [the] border's closure will remain unchanged. Q: There are reports out of Dogharun along the border that hundreds of Afghans fleeing US military strikes have been deported. Are these reports true? A: These reports are not correct. We are not facing a refugee influx at present. However, we have planned for facilities in order to settle the refugees in the region relying on the international organisations’ cooperation in case of any arrivals. Q: The UN estimates as many as 400,000 people could attempt to cross into Iran. If such an influx occurs, how prepared is your government to deal with such a crisis? A: As I mentioned, we have planned for some facilities in the area. We have identified eight locations inside Afghanistan's border to establish camps. The BAFIA coordination committee has established a working group in order to coordinate the activities run by the international organisations, and UNHCR has undertaken the responsibility of this working group. In addition, as it was mentioned in [UN Under-Secretary General and Emergency Relief Coordinator] Mr Oshima’s meeting with the Minister of Interior, the Iranian government is prepared to deal with the crisis, provided that international organisations make their contributions to the IRI. It is through continuous contributions that the crisis can be fully managed. In this regard, we have done our part by providing facilities for international organisations, such as airport and customs facilities, to pave the way for these contributions. Although we are not confronted with the refugee crisis at present, should such an event happen in the future, we are prepared to handle that. In short, there are no problems regarding international organisations’ participation in the matter. Q: What possible scenarios are you preparing for? A: We have based all our efforts upon the estimation of 400,000 Afghan refugees, and have planned to assist this population of refugees inside Afghan territory. They will all need food, water, transportation, health and sanitary facilities. The Iranian Red Crescent Society is considered the focal point in this regard. However, the Society's present facilities cannot satisfy the needs of the anticipated population of refugees. We have made efforts in attracting international organisations and NGO participation in this issue, and called for their help. Unfortunately, we regret that we are witnessing a discrimination and different behaviour toward the aid provided for Pakistan, compared to that which has been allocated for the IRI. Although some international organisations have transited several shipments for the refugees, we are certain that this limited amount of contributions will not be enough to cover the needs of the refugees. We are confident that providing the refugees with aid will not be possible without the participation of international organisations. To date, astronomical expenses have been imposed upon the IRI. Therefore, it is quite logical that Iran will accept no further refugees into the country. We are determined to make all possible efforts in order to attract the participation of the international organisations in order to help the refugees. Q: So what have you done to attract the participation of the NGOs and international organisations? A: The most visible evidence of our goodwill in this regard would be the presence of the international organisations' staff in Iran during the present critical situation. Q: Your government is planning on establishing eight refugee camps along the border area with Afghanistan. Have those camps been set up, and are these camps inside Afghanistan or Iran? A. The camps are five kilometres inside the Afghan border. Their location has been decided by a group of our experts, who examined the area, given a specific criteria. Six of these camps will be set up in Khorasan Province inside Afghanistan along the border, while the other two are going to be located on the border between Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeast Iran. These are mainly the areas in which the Taliban are not dominant. Q: How many people will these camps be able to accommodate? A: They are going to accommodate 350,000 to 400,000 refugees. Q: In order to provide assistance to the refugees, security for the aid workers is critical. How safe do you think it will be inside Afghanistan? A: Obviously, while inside Afghan territory, providing security is the duty of the ruling state. However, since we are talking about refugee camps, we believe that international security norms and standards should be applied in protecting the refugee camps. The Iranian Red Crescent Society will be in charge of security for these areas. However, surveys regarding these areas show that they are safe enough for the refugees. The Red Crescent will also benefit from its medical staff. Meanwhile, there are a number of ambiguities in this regard, such as the dimensions of the crisis, and the number of possible refugees. This is why we are calling for greater international cooperation, something we haven't had a great deal of positive experience with in the past. They did not support the refugees seriously. So, we are really concerned about the continuation of the refugee crisis. The Red Crescent has predicted some short-term service. However, providing service and security are really important, and new needs will arise if the crisis continues. Q: In setting up these camps, how cooperative are the Taliban authorities to this? A: Unfortunately, the Taliban have not announced any official undertakings regarding these camps. As it was mentioned in the news, they have even made obstructions for the refugees who are trying to flee. Meanwhile, we are making attempts to take fundamental steps with respect to safety and security of the camps. Of course, there are restrictions for us here, as we do not recognise the Taliban officially. So far, it has been international organisations like UNHCR that has played the role of the middleman. We expect that international organisations would apply their influence in this regard, in the same manner that they played a part in the bilateral committee that was established for the voluntary and safe return of the refugees to Afghanistan. The committee included two parties - one representative from the IRI and another representative from UNHCR. In fact, they did make a change, and helped. We hope that UNHCR will play its part again in order to convince the Taliban to protect the refugees in the camps. There have been ongoing negotiations, but they have yet to reach a fruitful conclusion. Having said that, we would like to note that we do understand the situation, particularly considering the fact that members of international organisations have left Afghanistan. We still hope that the international security standards would be implemented through the UN. Q: Should a major influx cross over into Iran, this would present a serious crisis situation. Have you prepared for that possibility, and wouldn't it make more sense to have camps inside Iran established instead? A. The impact of 2,700,000 refugees in Iran during the past 22 years has been too heavy. This in itself has made the situation for any new arrivals even worse. We are absolutely unable to satisfy their needs. Therefore, we will provide no camps inside Iran. For 20 years we have been trying to voice our problems regarding the Afghan refugees, but no one has listened to what we said. The issue of refugees is a common problem for the entire global community. With that in mind, the receiving countries should be allocated with more aid and support. In order to clarify the issue better, you should simply estimate the expenses of one single refugee in Iran and multiply that by 2,700,000 people. The amount is not comparable to the limited amount of the credit and budget allocated to Iran by the UN or UNHCR. Q: [According to its own official statistics,] Iran currently has more Afghan refugees than any other country in the world. What impact has this had on your country? A: This has had widespread impact on different fields, such as economic, social and cultural domains. It has deprived many Iranians of job opportunities, has brought about changes in the make-up of the population, transferred epidemic diseases, and spread new behavioural codes in society. Q: What needs to be done? A: It is obvious that bringing about security and stability in Afghanistan is the most important ground upon which human and economic development can be shaped in Afghanistan. In this way, refugees would be able to return to their home country in a secure and respectful way. Here in Iran, we expect other countries to accept their share of responsibility regarding these refugees. This, while in practice many capable countries have reinforced their barriers against refugees by ratifying regulations and signing agreements that would restrict the arrival of refugees to their countries. It is crystal clear that if the affluent countries do not contribute to manage this crisis in the front-line countries, they will have to deal with much more intensified problems in their own countries in the future. Q: During his recent mission to Iran, UN Under-Secretary General Kenzo Oshima emphasised [that] the more assistance that could be brought into the country, the less people would feel the need to cross into neighbouring countries as refugees. Do you share this view? A: Certainly. Unfortunately, this was announced once the UN had already stopped its aid to Afghanistan. Q: In terms of logistics, what is your government doing to facilitate cross-border assistance operations? A: The Iranian Red Crescent Society has been appointed as the focal point in order to support the operations regarding the cross-border camps. We have planned some facilities so as to transfer the necessary equipment for the camps. Providing drinking water by water tankers is one of our main concerns, since it is a dry area. Q: What is your outlook on the situation today? A. We hope that the future will be in favour of the Afghan nation... I believe that we are [going] to be criticised at present. The global community had forgotten about the Afghan nation for so long. However, now it seems that they are paying attention to the issue and taking measures. In this respect, the UN plays a crucial role in establishing stability and peace in Afghanistan, as well as national reconstruction, particularly in the economic domain, etc. I hope that we can solve part of their problems relying on global will, and partly heal their wounds. Winter is close, and we have about a million Afghan refugees and homeless people inside the country, half of which are living in very poor conditions in seven camps set up in Herat Province in western Afghanistan. Previously, members of international organisations were taking care of their affairs, but now they have left as well. It is time that the global community pays attention to the issue.