পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৭৫৪

726 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড are afraid for their lives, always for political reasons. Now obviously for this reason the office cannot and will not proceed on the basis of individual eligibility to decide whether a man is a refugee under the UNHCR mandate or not. With these numbers of people, with the distances involved, it would be absolutely futile to try to determine whether or not people left because of well founded fear of persecution and therefore come under the mandate. This is a purely humanitarian "good offices" action. The League of Red Cross Societies has also sent a fact-finding mission. As you know they announced it in a Press release. We are going to go to see what the United Nations can do just as the League has gone to see what the League can do. It is not going to be on the basis of deciding exactly what categories these people belong to, it is a basically humanitarian approach. O. Clobo, Rio de Janeiro: Asks whether the High Commissioner has been in touch with the Pakistan authorities. High Commissioner: Once again it would seem to me that one of the most satisfactory solutions from every point of view would be for people to go home, if they want to go homeland if they can go home. That obviously means that we have to be in touch with the Pakistan authorities. My office has always been very anxious to maintain the best relations with all governments, governments of the countries from where the refugees come and the governments of the countries where the refugees go. This is essential if you want to play a role, a really humanitarian role, to try to facilitate repatriation if it is possible. Now I am very much in touch with the Pakistan Government and always available to send either a personal representative there or to go myself. This will be vital if we can effectively assist in promoting conditions for people to go home. O. Clobo, Rio de Janeiro: Asks a question about the role of the Red Cross. High Commissioner: The International Committee tried at one point as you know to send a plane at the beginning of the outbreak of unrest to East Pakistan and the plane came back. Now the League of course, will be active if the Indian Red Cross requests the League for an important programme, but so far I think their mission to New Delhi is largely a fact finding mission. They want to find out what the Indian Red Cross expects from them. This is a very large problem, and I think it is a very difficult for the Red Cross alone to deal with it. Since Indian Government has appealed to the Secretary-General and to other agencies including mine, we at least have to see precisely what they expect from us and what we can provide. I think our partnership with the League of Red Cross Societies will continue in this situation as in many other parts of the world. Agence France Presse: If my information’s are correct, I believe you have waited for a week to send this mission? High Commissioner: The Secretary-General has communicated a week ago to us, to AAC in Berne, the request of the Ambassador Sen who represents India in New York and who had sent a letter to U Thant after meeting him and had with him preliminary talks, requesting him to promote and encourage and aid on behalf of the family of the United Nations. In that letter it was also mentioned about us. That letter was sent to the Secretary-General. Firstly, this had taken place a week ago. Secondly we have an office in Delhi with a representative who is in touch with the Indian Government and who had