Berlin (dpa) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, said Tuesday his agency needed far better access to millions of Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan.
''Refugees are in a totally unacceptable situation,'' said Lubbers adding that he would be visiting Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the near future.
Lubbers said the UNHCR and other aid groups needed to be able to build up better structures in Iran and Pakistan to help refugees and determine whether they wanted to stay or go home.
There are some 2.6 million Afghan refugees living in Iran, Pakistan and India, according to UNHCR figures.
In a radio interview, Lubbers called on Germany to change its asylum law and start recognising people who were fleeing non-state violence as normal asylum seekers.
The German government is currently discussing a new immigration law and there are proposals to expand recognition of causes leading to the granting of asylum.
Lubbers had talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Berlin.
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