AMMAN, 27 July 2007 — Iraq yesterday urged countries hosting more than 2 million Iraqi refugees who have fled violence at home to stop mistreating those arriving at their borders and avoid their forcible return until stability returns.
Iraq’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Al-Haj Hamoud, who was addressing a UN-backed experts meeting on the status of refugees, said his country’s neighbors must alleviate the plight of the hundreds of thousands who fled to safety abroad after the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“The moral and humanitarian duty dictates they extend their hand to ease the burden on the refugees and facilitate their stay until they can return back,” Hamoud told the gathering that was attended by delegates from Turkey, Iran and UN agencies. Countries hosting more than 2 million of Iraqi refugees opened a meeting here yesterday by appealing for financial and technical aid from the world community to enable them to come to grips with the economic and security offshoots of the problem.
UN agencies say the refugees are driven out by violence, poor services, losing their jobs and facing an uncertain future. Hamoud, who appealed for more donor aid, said host countries had a moral imperative to help them cope better with difficult living conditions and meager incomes by giving them access to public schools and medical centers.
Hamoud said efforts to stem the flow of refugees by Jordan and to a lesser extent Syria, who now impose tougher entry restrictions and residency conditions, resulted in many cases of mistreatment at border crossings.
