FED: No increase in places for Kosovar refugees Ruddock

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-1999
FED: No increase in places for Kosovar refugees Ruddock

SYDNEY, April 5 AAP - The federal government was not considering increasing the number of
immigration places for Kosovar refugees, Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock said today.

Mr Ruddock told Sky News that under a permanent entry program determined earlier this year,
4,500 of 10,000 refugee places were allocated to people from the former Yugoslavia.

Asked if the government would increase that number in light of the Kosovo crisis, Mr
Ruddock replied: "If there were an option that we were exploring about those matters I'd make
an announcement but I don't intend any announcement in respect of additional places at this
time."

Mr Ruddock said Australia would be offering permanent settlement rather than temporary
refuge to ethnic Albanians forced out of the Serbian province of Kosovo.

"Our approach has always been to provide settlement opportunities on a permanent basis
rather than a temporary basis," he said.

Flying planeloads of refugees into Australia would not be an appropriate response, he said.

"Our preferable approach is to look at those people return home or if resettlement within
the region is not possible, settlement in a third country is the most appropriate and viable
option," he said.

Mr Ruddock said Australia would give priority to refugees who had suffered in the most
oppressive ways and people for whom resettlement in the region was not viable.

"We will be looking particularly for people from mixed relationships who, on neither side
of the divide, will be able to live within the region," he said.

AAP lk/kr/br

KEYWORD: KOSOVO REFUGEES AUST

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