Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 14:57:55 +0100
Subject: regugees question


Hugh

The numbers are difficult to quantify because an accurate number of 
refugees in the various countries is known to be high but no counts have 
takern place. In relation to Afghanistan refugees and migrants Iran has 
the highest numbers - somewhere between 1 to 3 million, the upper figure 
is probably more accurate, Pakistan has slightly over 1 million and the 
ex-soviet states (whose names I can't spell) around 200,000. As usual 
whilst the G20 countries make the most noise about the refugee/migrant 
issue the southern states have all the refugees. Iran hasn't, as far as 
I know had very much aid to date and there relationship to the current 
Afghanistan adventure may well be structured around gaining economic 
relief for the state and refugees...

Iran's population is around the same as France which is 60M - 3 million 
is a large number to support...

Incidentally its worth remembering that Iran is, I believe, an entirely 
different sect of Islam from Afghanistan. I'll check on the numbers... 
I'm not sure what the world total of refugees is but the current 
estimates which I do trust are that the yearly migration of human beings 
is averaging 36Million a year.... This includes all types of migrants 
and refugees.

http://www.unhcr.ch/

UN view see above... usual care needs to be taken with the statuistics 
and m,eaning etc...

regards

sdv