THE REFUGEE crisis in eastern Zaire once again took centre stage at yesterday's second day of the United Nations World Food Summit in Rome.
Zaire's deputy Prime Minister, Mr Muzombo Bakafwla Nsenda, called on the international community not to direct all humanitarian aid at Zaire, but rather at Burundi and Rwanda, the home countries of the starving refugees.
"For more than 30 years now. Zaire has adopted and respected the principles of peaceful co existence and good relations with its neighbours . . . The thousands of refugees now living in east Zaire come from states run by governments which can in no way be allowed to renege on their responsibility to accept their compatriots within their own borders."
"Zaire, which is a victim of the presence of huge numbers of these refugees . . is being portrayed on the international stage as the cause of all the troubles in the Great Lakes region. Rather than receive special assistance and acknowledgement for the serious ills and suffering endured by our peoples because of the presence of these Rwandan refugees, Zaire has met with only indifference and ingratitude from the United Nations and the international community," said Mr Nsenda.
"That is why Zaire appeals for all urgent action or humanitarian aid for the refugees to be directed at and distributed in the refugees' countries of origin - namely Rwanda and Burundi, not Zaire."
Strictly speaking, the Zaire deputy prime minister's remarks bore no relevance to the aims of this UN summit, with the formulation of a "Plan of Action" aimed at ensuring both long term food security and reducing the number of starving people, currently estimated at 840 million, to half that number by the year 2015.
Mr F.E. Zenny, a spokesperson for UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the summit organisers, pointed out yesterday that it is the clear responsibility of the UN Security Council in New York rather than of FAO itself to promote and organise the international community response to the Zaire crisis.
"We in FAO obviously applaud the international community's response... but that is not our responsibility. Our job is to look at the big picture, and if we lose sight of that, then there wilt be many more Zaire type crises".
One of the most keenly followed addresses yesterday came from Mr James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank. Since 1990 his organisation has become the world's single most important source of funds for targeted food, nutrition and nutrition education programmes.
Asked about the World Bank's views on population control, especially in view of paragraph 22 of the summit's "Plan of Action" calling for the promotion of "access for all people, especially the poor and members of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to primary health care, including reproductive health services", Mr Wolfensohn said: "My personal view is that population control is a major issue in ensuring food security, but we will not use food security as a weapon."
In the opening address at the summit, Pope John Paul II on Wednesday had rejected the "cliche" which argues that "to be numerous (in family size) is to condemn yourself to poverty".
Among those due to address the summit today are the Cuban President, Dr Fidel Castro, and the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, who speaks as both Taoiseach and EU President. The summit ends on Sunday.