Ireland Awaits First Kosovar REfugees, 4/22


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          Ireland Awaits First Kosovar Refugees

PA   04/22/99 04:58

Copyright 1999 PA News

  By Chris Parkin, PA News

   The first batch of Kosovar refugees is expected to arrive in 
the Irish Republic within weeks, junior foreign minister Liz 
O'Donnell reported today.

   Up to 300 people were likely to be housed in the Cork area and 
offered "temporary protection" by the Dublin Government, she said.

   But Ms O'Donnell stressed: "Temporary does not run out. People 
are here until they can return peacefully to their community.

   "This is an indefinite commitment."

   She pointed out that a number of Bosnian refugees who flew to 
Ireland some years ago had still to return to their homes because 
it was not considered safe for them to do so.

   The Irish have offered to take as many as 1,000 refugees from 
the Balkan conflict, but that figure could be increased in 
response to any request from the United Nations High Commission 
for Refugees.

   The minister said it was probable that the Kosovars would reach 
Ireland in family groups and total between 250 and 300 in the 
first instance "over the next few weeks."

   Because of pressure on accommodation and services in Dublin, it 
is thought the bulk of the refugees arriving in Ireland would be 
housed outside the Irish capital, in Waterford, Wexford and 
Kildare, as well as Cork.

 
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