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GENEVA -- Desperately needed aid for tens of thousands of people who have fled the fighting in Chechnya is being held up by Russian bureaucracy, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday.
A team of 10 experts from the UN High Commissioner for refugees has been on standby at a Moscow military airport for the last two days waiting for permission to fly to the area.
Russian authorities asked for help at the end of last month.
"We are not amused," said UNHCR spokeswoman Sylvana Foa.
"These are 10 very valuable people. All are emergency experts and they could be used in other places."
Foa said the team was told Monday the delay was due to bad weather, then Tuesday they were told that authorization for their plane to take off had not been given.
"It may be that the Russian authorities are a big bureaucracy and that every single thumb print has not yet gone on the plan to bring in relief supplies," said Foa.
Red Tape Holds Up UN Aid
11 January 1995
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