DAMASCUS, 19 January 2010 (IRIN) - An 18
January meeting in Damascus of over 50 NGOs and host country government
representatives has mapped out the next steps in providing vital assistance
and protection for Iraqi refugees across the Middle East.
The main product of the meeting
is the 2010 Regional Response Plan for Iraqi Refugees (RRP), which also
looked at minority groups in Iraq.
One of the Plan's most important
elements is the closure of al-Tanf camp on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The
camp - in no-man's land - is home to 1,000 Palestinian refugees from Iraq,
most of whom are expected to be resettled in al-Hol camp, northeastern
Syria by the end of 2010.
The Plan notes that of the 260,000
registered Iraqi refugees in Syria, less than 1,000 have sought assistance
to return home under the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation
programme. The lack of social services, employment opportunities and uncertainly
surrounding planned Iraqi elections were among the reasons cited.
However, more and more refugees
are reportedly returning home for short periods to collect pensions, or
check on family and property.
Radhouane Nouicer, UNHCR Middle
East and North Africa bureau chief, said refugee resettlement in a third
country is not a solution and can only assist a small number. Nevertheless,
around 20,000 Iraqi refugees in Syria and a further 10,000 in Jordan applied
for third-country resettlement in 2009.
On the ground, many refugees are
only looking west. Ali from Baghdad has been in Damascus since August 2006
and rules out returning to Iraq. "I hope to be resettled to Texas
in the US within the next 12 months. I'm not thinking of Iraq, and nor
are any of my friends and family from Iraq."
Strategic objectives
The RRP's strategic objectives
will focus on ensuring refugees can continue to seek refuge in their host
countries (in many states there is no legal framework regarding refugees,
including those in the Gulf where 1,089 Iraqi individuals have been registered),
and offering vocational training to those wishing to return to Iraq.
In Syria, RRP hopes to extend
support for refugees in rural areas, with many parts of the country now
suffering from drought.
The Plan also targets child labour
by pursuing measures to get an additional 12,000 Iraqi children in Syria
into school, bringing the total number to around 45,000.
Meanwhile a senior Syrian official
has criticized the Iraqi government. Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad
said: "We will not oblige any Iraqi person to go home unless they
wish to do so voluntarily, but there must be a political will in Iraq to
help. The country should be welcoming to all, regardless of religion, sect
or political preference."
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