WASHINGTON, Oct 29 Kyodo UN High ...

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 Kyodo

UN High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers has criticized China for denying his agency access to clan who have fled North Korea, according to a alphabetic character to a U.S. congressional leader available Wednesday.

''UNHCR is denied access to North Koreans who may be in ne of international protection in China,'' Lubbers said in a literal sense to Richard Lugar, chairman of the U Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

''This lack of access debars an effective verification of the situation and a response'' said the verbal expression dated Oct. 16.

Lubbers said China and the UNHCR ''differ forward the status of North Koreans entering China.''

He said that China argues all North Koreans entering without right documents are illegal migrants, on the other hand that the UNHCR maintains many are likely to be in ne of refugee protection.

''I look after your and the American government's support in encouraging the Chinese authorities to appropriate their international obligations and grant UNHCR access to North Koreans in ne of protection,'' Lubbers said.

''Access will also allow UNHCR to address trafficking issues affecting asylum seekers'' he said.

Lugar, an Indiana Republican, sent a alphabetic character to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan last month asking the United Nations to take necessary paces to ensure the UNHCR gains access to North Koreans who escape to China.

With the alphabetic character from Lubbers, Lugar is ''considering taking additional steps'' a congressional official said.

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