Airstrip One

An 'unfair refugee burden' - 27th December 2002, 17.43

Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stated that the UK had an 'unfair refugee burden' compared to the rest of Europe and called for greater co-operation at a European level. The Refugee Council disagreed citing the examples of Iran and Pakistan taking in more than four million Afghan refugees.

Just two points: if European cooperation does not work now, why should it work with greater integration? What do the Iran and Pakistani states have to do with us?