If a serious displaced persons problem does develop. American humanitarian assistance should be channeled through an international or voluntary agency serving as coordinator of the displaced persons program. 2. Guatemalan refugees in Mexico.-There are currently an estimated 41.000 Guatemalan refugees in the southern Mexican province of Chiapasprimarily Indians from the Ixiltriangle who have fled military campaigns in the countryside in 198182. Although the situation in the field has stabilized. conditions remain precarious in some areas with only a twoweek food supply and serious health problems. In jungle terrain. logistics also continue to be a problem. Despite a recent commitment by the Mexican government to offer extended assistance and protection to the refugees. and permission for the UNHCR to establish a permanent presence in the field. a longerterm solution is far off. Few. if any. refugees have been willing to accept the Guatemalan governments offer of amnesty and return to their country. There is a general lack of confidence in the protection they will receive when they return. A carefully negotiated repatriation program under UNHCR auspices. with strong diplomatic and financial support of the United States. might help resolve the problem. A good beginning will be an invitation to refugee leaders to return homeagain. under UNHCR protectionto see conditions for themselves. But it is unlikely they will be persuaded to return if they see displaced persons among their fellow countrymen receiving less assistance or protection than is being received under UNHCR programs in Mexico.*
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refugee refugees