VIENNA -- The United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers praised Iran's worthy cooperation in arranging for facilities to receive probable Iraqi refugees of a U.S.-led military invasion.

Lubbers who was speaking to the members of the Executive Committee of the UNHCR in Geneva following his return from Iran, said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken appropriate steps, and adopted a suitable strategy for the acceptance of the probable Iraqi refugees of a U.S. military invasion.

During his two-day visit of Iran Lubbers had a short trip to Ahvaz, in Iran's southern Khuzestan Province, where he noticed that Iran has while closing its borders with Iraq, established camps on the other side of its borders to receive the probable refugees, as well as feeding them and providing medical services for them.

He also presented a report to the Executive Committee of the UNHCR on Iran's broad assistance rendered to the Afghan refugees during and after the Afghan crisis, and the preparations done to receive the probable Iraqi refugees.

During his recent trip to Iran, Lubbers met and conferred with President Seyed Mohammad Khatami, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Kharrazi and Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari.

Iranian Interior Minister Hojjatoleslam Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari during his Thursday meeting with Lubbers referred to the repatriation of 400,000 Afghans refugees and hoped that more refugees will return to their homeland. Pointing to the recent regional developments which have created enough cause for the concern of the world humanitarians and the global public opinion, he said, "given that Iran does not have the potential to accept more refugees, we do not intend to give refuge to any more possible applicants in the border areas."

"Some refugee camps should be established by the UN inside the soil of the refugees' countries of origin to enable other states to dispatch their joint relief aid to the refugees," he added.

For his part, Lubbers hoped that the process of Afghan refugees repatriation will continue with the tripartite cooperation of Iran, the UNHCR and Afghanistan.

"Given that we are committed to examine the situation of other Afghans residing in foreign countries, we hope that we shall benefit from Iran's expertise in the field," he concluded.

President Mohammad Khatami, too, during his Wednesday meeting with Lubbers said that Iran is ready to cooperate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other international humanitarian organizations to assist refugees who are expected to cross into Iran in the event of a U.S.-instigated war on Iraq.

President Khatami said that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers it as its humanitarian and Islamic duty to offer humanitarian assistance to refugees.

He said Iran has already been hosting more than two million refugees and bearing economic, cultural and political burdens arising from their presence.

The U.S.-led military conflict in the Persian Gulf and war in Iraq are expected to result in a human crisis, making an estimated 0.6 million people refugees. An influx of Iraqi refugees is expected to be massive -- estimates say they may run up to 0.6 million and half of them will try to move to neighboring Iran. (IRNA)