77շ ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড first to mobilize and secure international support and contributions; second to arrange for the procurement of supplies in a coordinated manner and to deliver the supplies in India; third to maintain close liaison with the Government of India. Parallel to this consultation unit, the Government of India has set up in Delhi a coordinating committee where all operational Ministries of the Central Government as well as the United Nations Agencies directly interested are represented. This double mechanism, in Geneva and in Delhi, for consultation on and co-ordination of all activities is yielding positive results to the satisfaction of all concerned. I wish here to extend my warmest appreciation to the specialized agencies of the United Nations system for their immediate response and effective co-operation. I should like to stress, for better understanding of the combined efforts in this situation, that this new United Nations role is not an operational one. We have subscribed to the express wishes of the Government of India and left the operational responsibility to the authorities. The Focal Point, consequently, does not have any operational staff in the field. My representative in India, Mr. Jamieson, who is well known to you, and his focal point team, act essentially as a liaison and co-ordination link and their duty station is Delhi, though they frequently visit the States where the refugees are concentrated. The responsibility of the United Nations system is restricted to taking action at international level for raising funds for assistance and contributions in kind; to channel these to the Government of India and to co-ordinate activities as regards their use in order that the Focal Point may be able, with the help of the Government of India, to give a satisfactory account of the use of their contributions to the donors. The most significant characteristic of this non-operational role is that it goes against the danger of the institutionalization of refugee camps and limits the threat of this United Nations operation becoming yet another permanent political and economic burden on the international community. The principal incentive must remain the promoting of conditions leading rapidly to a permanent solution. Being non-operational on the other hand, it is relatively less easy to report on and have readily available all details relevant to the assistance measures taken. It is difficult to neglect his aspect of the work in view of the natural desire of donors to receive full satisfaction that their contributions have been used to the maximum benefit of recipient. This being said, I cannot express sufficient admiration for the countless men and women of India who are joining together against frightening odds to bring succour to the refugees. As for the overall assessment of the situation, I need hardly point out, particularly to this committee, that relief measures now being provided in India will never be a solution in itself. What is eventually going to happen to these suffering masses of displaced persons"? As is already recognized, it is the expressed wish of both the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan that these refugees be repatriated. You are aware that in refugee situations voluntary repatriation has traditionally served as the best solution. UNHCR has had recourse to this in many countries all over the world. I should point out, however, that UNHCR achieved results because there was a consensus of opinion between the host country and the country of origin and both sides agreed not only on the solution but also on modalities leading to this solution. In our past experience, if and when a settlement had occurred in the country of origin, a system of mutual co
