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Reference..
There was therefore a need to stremline the old procedures so as not to alienate public sympathy for genuine refugees.
10. Australia welcomed the principles set out in the draft Geneva Declaration on International Protection but regretted the lack of consensus on principles to prohibit armed attacks on refugee camps. They endorsed UNHCR's comments on this matter and looked for further progress at EXCOM next year. Australia reaffirmed their commitment to RASRO and DISERO but stated that these programmes should not be used to gain resettlement advantage. The principles laid down by the Sub-Committee on Protection on voluntary repatriation and women refugees show that this Committee can achieve useful results.
11.
Switzerland also said that the international community must adjust to new mass flows of refugees. Durable solutions can help relieve the pressure and international protection and assistance can only be temporary measures. Switzerland welcomed the efforts of the Sub-Committee on Dentention and hoped that these would lead to conclusions. Unilateral restrictive measures against asylum seekers could not provide a long-term solution and in any case must not be used against genuine asylum seekers. Likewise the fact of illegal presence in a country should not be held against genuine asylum seekers. However, this necessitated speedy decisions on asylum applications. Applicants could not be treated as common criminals. This was an urgent matter and Switzerland hoped that conclusions could be reached this session - indeed we could not leave it until the next session. On military attacks on refugee camps, Switzerland stated that EXCOM must express a clear political will to ban such attacks.
12. Tanzania stated that international protection was directly related to human rights. They stressed the importance of non-discrimination, protection against expulsion, the prohibition of refoulement, and the fact that irregular presence in a country should affect asylum applications. The work of the Sub-Committee could only be successful if states put humanitarian concerns above national exigencies. It would not help refugees if the Committee adopted conclusions which had the most restrictive interpretation of states' obligations.
13. Tanzania claimed that military attacks on refugee camps had occurred in all continents. Refugees must be ensured adequate protection and principles to provide such protection should be agreed. UNHCR's humanitarian mandate demanded immediate action and they should persue the subject vigorously. Tanzania hoped that the detailed report would be prepared speedily by UNHCR and would be available before the June 1987 Informal EXCOM. The next report should examine the history of attacks on refugee camps, their impact on the refugees, the work of UNHCR, the countries of first
/asylum,