JEDDAH, 7 January 2006 — The number of Iraqis who came to perform Haj in the past two years was 40 percent more than the quota set for Iraq, a Haj Ministry spokesman said, refuting allegations made by Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari.
“We issued Haj visas to Iraqis at entry points considering their situation,” he said, adding the Kingdom was helping Iraq to organize its pilgrims’ affairs better.
The spokesman expressed his surprise over Jaafari’s statement as the Kingdom had provided him every support when he handled the Haj affairs.
