However, it soon became apparent that the Guantanamo operation was itself serving as a magnet and the number of Haitian migrants had outstripped our capacity to accommodate them at the base. When our attempts to identify additional screening locations in the region were unsuccessful and the situation remained untenable, the President on May 24 issued an Executive Order which instructed the Coast Guard to return interdicted Haitians directly to Haiti where refugee processing is available to them. We continue to be hopeful that the various Haitian factions can negotiate a democratic political solution.

Challenges to Resolving Existing and Future Refugee Problems

The United States has and will continue to play an active role, both financially and politically, in promoting refugee repatriation. However, a significant level of international cooperation and support must be forthcoming if these opportunities are not to be lost. As we have experienced in Southeast Asia with the Comprehensive Plan of Action, once it becomes clear that third-country resettlement will not be an option for those not found to be refugees, increasing numbers of asylum seekers decide to return home.

We have also learned in Vietnam, Iraq, and elsewhere that follow-up and close attention to the needs of those who have

rehabilitation and development of the economic infrastructure

can Ethiopia hope to repatriate its nationals and avoid repeated outflows of returning refugees unable to survive on the local economy.

We have learned as well that cooperation between refugee and development agencies is required if repatriation is to be successful. The needs of returnees and of those displaced within the country must be taken into account within national reconstruction and development programs. In recognition of the need to bridge the gap between repatriation and development assistance in Central America, a model incorporating both refugee and development expertise has been created for the reintegration of Nicaraguan and other Central American

refugees. I am pleased to report that the UNHCR and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) are working on a similar approach

for Cambodia.

In addition, the international community has recognized that response mechanisms must be appropriate to the circumstances which create refugees. Following the Gulf War, the United Nations encountered considerable difficulty in mounting an effective response to the outflow of over one million people in a matter of days. Coordination among U.N.

bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was a major problem. Fortunately, the U.S. military and our coalition partners were able to take the necessary measures to sustain several hundred thousand lives while conditions were created to allow their return to Iraq in relative security.

The lessons learned from the Iraqi refugee crisis have led to improvements in UNHCR's response capabilities. Plans have been put in place to ensure that UNHCR and external staff resources are available for immediate assignment to an emergency. Draft agreements to allow the efficient and expeditious involvement of NGOs have been prepared and a stockpile of items commonly needed in a refugee crisis is being created. To enhance U.N. coordination further, late last year, in the context of efforts by the United States and other countries to reform the United Nations, the position of Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Assistance was established, along with a $50 million emergency revolving fund. We have already begun to reap the benefit of these initiatives in dealing with the flow of Somalis into Kenya and Burmese Rohingyas into Bangladesh, as well as with the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

The international community is also utilizing its prior experience in an effort to prevent future refugee crises. UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

have been working with the new governments of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to provide needed technical and legal training for dealing with refugees, displaced persons, and migrants. The United States has actively promoted and participated in these multilateral initiatives.

We also believe that our own national experience of ethnic and cultural diversity is worthy of sharing with others. Through a series of on-site technical assistance projects, we are exposing relevant officials of the new governments in the former Soviet bloc to the roles of public and private sector institutions in the field of refugees and migration. In addition, to address a major cause of forced migration, we continue to promote throughout the world respect for human rights and fundamental individual freedoms. The Department's Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs is providing training on the rule of law for judicial officials from Eastern Europe and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union. We repeatedly remind such officials that our bilateral relationships will be affected by the degree to which human

rights

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particularly those of members of minority groups

are respected in their countries.

Indeed, at Secretary Baker's

urging, the issue of international migration has now been

placed on the agenda of CSCE.

The Future of Refugee Admissions

Regarding the U.S. refugee admissions program, if current trends continue and barring major unforeseen developments, the numbers of persons requiring permanent resettlement in the United States could decline by the mid-1990s. The President's proposal for fiscal year 1993 allows for the funded admission of 122,000 refugees a reduction of 10,000 from the current

fiscal year level.

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You may recall that this year's figure was increased from the President's original estimate to allow for the admission of refugees from the Soviet Union whose departure in the previous year had been delayed by anomalies in Soviet government procedures. I am pleased to report that we have succeeded in the past 12 months in making up this shortfall.

We propose that the 122,000 admissions numbers be divided as follows: East Asia (including Amerasian immigrants)

50,000; Near East/South Asia

America/Caribbean

3,500. In addition, as in fiscal year

1992, we have included an unallocated reserve of 1,000 numbers which, after consultation with the Congress, could be used in regions where allocated numbers prove to be insufficient.

As is evident, our program will continue in the near term to address many of the residual human problems created by communism.

:

Former re-education camp prisoners from Vietnam and