May 7, 2005	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, May 6: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Friday reiterated the country’s policy of maintaining strong bonds with Afghanistan and said that despite receiving limited assistance from the international community Pakistan had hosted a large number of Afghan refugees for over two decades.

He said although most of the refugees were keen to go to their country but some Afghans had come back to Pakistan after visiting their homeland. The president was talking to visiting UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie who had called on him here.

The president welcomed the goodwill ambassador’s second visit to Pakistan and said that such visits helped to attract attention of the international community to the continuing needs of the over three million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

Gen Musharraf said that apart from helping the refugees, the international community should work in coordination with the Afghan government and UN organizations to create conditions in Afghanistan favourable for their return.

He said this could be done by streamlining reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes and projects in Afghanistan and creating additional job opportunities. He stressed the need for improving the water management and access to water systems in all areas.

The president said that improvement of the agricultural infrastructure in Afghanistan would strengthen efforts to reduce and eradicate poppy cultivation which had extremely harmful effects in Afghanistan, the neighbouring countries and beyond.

The president reiterated a proposal that he had made to former UNHCR High Commissioner Rudd Lubbers that instead of maintaining refugee camps in Pakistan along the border areas, the UNHCR should relocate the camps within Afghanistan.

Ms Jolie thanked the president for his deep concern for the refugees and his suggestions on ways of creating conditions within Afghanistan to facilitate their return.

She also appreciated the president’s role in building multidimensional relations with Afghanistan which provided favourable environment for the refugees. Ms Jolie told the president that she saw her role as one of drawing the attention of the international community on the continuing needs of the Afghans in Pakistan.

She assured the president that in her contacts with other countries and leading personalities, she would continue to bring this important issue to their notice.