KEMAL MORJANE, UNHCR ASSISTANT HIGH COMMISSIONER: We certainly share the views of the President here, not referring to Australia, but to, in general, certainly, because we believe that the issue of people smuggling and trafficking is an important one and it`s of a high concern to UNHCR, and we believe that it could be only solved and treated only if there is a comprehensive and a global approach to this problem.

JANA WENDT: But we have recently seen Australia take unilateral action on illegal immigrants arriving in boats to Australia. Do you believe that her criticism, your criticism, does, in fact, apply to Australia?

KEMAL MORJANE: I think what is important today is to see how this conference - for which Australia and Indonesia called and are organising - will go, and what kind of results we will have, and if I assess what happened this morning, I`m quite optimistic about what`s important now is to see what kind of measures will be taken, and common and joint measures of the countries of the region, but also of countries of first asylum.

JANA WENDT: Do you think that it is likely that as a result of this conference, countries like Australia will modify their approach to the issue of boat people?

KEMAL MORJANE: I think, and I believe, that what is needed today is certainly to consider the problem of the smuggling, as I said, in the regional and global way, and that there will be no solution if there is no cooperation between the different actors. This is one. Second is that we have to make a distinction between the illegal migrants and the asylum seekers and those who are profiting of the human misery of these people in order to get money and to get rich.

JANA WENDT: Do you fear that this issue of criminality will, in the public mind, be confused with issues of asylum seekers and refugees?

KEMAL MORJANE: This is our concern, and this is why I take this opportunity also, through you, to explain that our position as UNHCR is mainly to protect those who are in need of protection, who lack protection, and not those who are profiting of this situation. And certainly if there is a goodwill from all parties, we can look and we can find the suitable measures to address this problem from its root causes.

JANA WENDT: It`s been reported that Indonesia, with your assistance, with the assistance of the UNHCR, is to send back some 400 people to where they came from. Is that report accurate?

KEMAL MORJANE: I cannot confirm this. I know that this has been mentioned yesterday and we are negotiating and discussing with the Indonesian authorities together with the Afghani authorities about these 400 Afghanis who express the wish to go back. Let me here take the profit of this occasion, this opportunity, to say that UNHCR is not against repatriation. On the contrary, we want it to be done in dignity and in security for those who have volunteered to repatriate, as well as for those who have been rejected from the refugee status if the rule of law and if the legal process has been respected.

JANA WENDT: So, Mr Morjane, let me just clarify this - these 400 people now on Indonesian soil, what is your understanding about their status?

KEMAL MORJANE: We have - I mean, we continue, as I said, the negotiation, the discussion with the Indonesian authorities, and certainly if we will reach the conclusion that these people would like to come back, to go back voluntarily, we will be there to assist them. If it`s not the case, we believe that it should not happen for the time being. But as I said, we heard about this and the discussion is continuing, it has not been yet finalised.

JANA WENDT: But are these people whom you, the UNHCR, has already processed and made a determination about whether they are eligible for refugee status, or not?

KEMAL MORJANE: It`s not final yet. I mean, there are among those people those who have been rejected and we have no objection to the fact that they will be sent back. But those who have been recognised as refugees, I think we need to look into, as I said, the voluntary repatriation of these people.

JANA WENDT: Can I ask you - and I suppose this goes to the topic, the subject of this conference - what can you do, you, the UNHCR, do, if Indonesia unilaterally says "We want these people out"?

KEMAL MORJANE: As I said, the decision has not been taken. We would like to see all the Afghani refugees going back to their country. We believe that the situation is not perfect. Some people have started going back, but we believe that it`s dangerous if today we will start sending thousands of people without any preparation in Afghanistan, and this is why we are insisting on the tripartite arrangement which should be made, because the government and the authorities of Afghanistan should be also involved. Let`s not forget that this country has been in war for more than two decades... sorry, and that these people, if they go back without any assistance, without any preparation, could be an additional problem to the government and the issue is a question of weeks or months - it`s better to wait a little bit.

JANA WENDT: Mr Morjane, I`m sorry, we have run out of time. Thank you very much.