The World Today - Wednesday, February 5, 2003 12:30

ELEANOR HALL: Well, now to some of the challenges flowing from the last war waged by the United States and its allies.

A non-government report has described the repatriation of nearly 2,000,000 refugees to Afghanistan last year as premature, hasty and misguided.

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, which is based in Kabul, has strongly criticised the push to return so many Afghans when it says the country is still ill-equipped to provide even basic services for them, like running water.

And as Jo Mazzocchi reports, the research organisation blames the Afghan Government and foreign donor countries for the mass movement.

JO MAZZOCCHI: When the Taliban collapsed last year, it was widely anticipated about half a million Afghans would return home. Instead close to 2,000,000 people made their way back. But such an influx of people has put extraordinary pressure on a country already suffering from more than 20 years of civil war.

Now a new report has found this mass movement of people, mainly from Pakistan and Iran, that were supported by the United Nations, the Afghan Government, aid donors and the media, was not matched by essential economic infrastructure. And the report blames neighbouring countries, donor interests and the very organisations set up to help the returnees as not catering to their interests at all.

Australia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Mahmoud Saikal, says no one could have anticipated just how many Afghans would return home.

MAHMOUD SAIKAL: Now we had no other option but to welcome them and to share the very little that we had with them. So to say that the Afghan Government encouraged the, the refugees to return home is not correct. But at the same time we could not tell our refugees not to return home because it was their country. And some of them lived in very appalling conditions in Pakistan and in Iran, and they preferred to come back home.

JO MAZZOCCHI: But the Ambassador does concede the report highlights the longer-term problems associated with reconstruction in his country.

MAHMOUD SAIKAL: Currently in terms of security we're talking of a securer Afghanistan compared to the past 23 years. But in terms of economic activities and reconstruction activities, things are going very slow. And majority of those who returned, the refugees, they do face shortage of housing, they do face shortage of food and clothes and so on, specifically now, which is the middle of winter.

JO MAZZOCCHI: The report argues Afghanistan's Government is at risk of further destabilisation if it continues to increase the number of landless and unemployed Afghans fighting over scarce resources. But others, such as Mahmoud Saikal reject this, claiming the country needs a proper functioning Government before anything else.

Australia and Afghanistan have signed an agreement over the voluntary return of Afghan asylum seekers and refugees. Refugee groups claim although it's a voluntary program, many have no choice but to return because the conditions in places such as Nauru are so bad.

The Federal Government rejects that view. A spokesman for Federal Immigration Minister, Phillip Ruddock says the Australian Government is well aware of the infrastructure problems in Afghanistan and that's why there are only voluntary returns in place.

But Ambassador Mahmoud Saikal says there are still lessons in this report for the Australian Government.

MAHMOUD SAIKAL: I wouldn't say a deliberate slowing down, but I would just say a better understanding of the problems of Afghanistan and making sure that we do not put pressure on our refugees and asylum seekers in this country, so that they could choose to return whether they like it or not. But just to be a little bit more understanding of the problems that Afghanistan is facing, and to be a little bit more patient with us, until the recovery of Afghanistan has, has taken place.

ELEANOR HALL: Afghanistan's ambassador to Australia, Mahmoud Saikal, ending that report from Jo Mazzocchi.