Humanitarian aid at breaking point for Iraqis

Mar 26, 2007, 15:39 GMT

Geneva - The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR warned Monday that humanitarian assistance for Iraqis was at breaking point in the region, and urged the international community to help Iraq's neighbouring countries Syria and Jordan cope with the 'heavy burden' of refugees.

'It is time for the international community to act in a robust and swift manner to support the communities receiving Iraqis,' Rahouane Nouicer, director of UNHCR's bureau in the Middle East and North Africa, told journalists at a press conference in Geneva.

Little if anything had been done so far, Nouicer charged.

'The displaced people are suffering and the communities hosting them are also suffering, carrying an extremely heavy burden. Without the urgent support of the international community the whole protection and assistance system will collapse,' he said.

Up to 1.2 million Iraqis have sought shelter in Syria since 2003 and between 500,000 and 750,000 have fled to Jordan, Nouicer said. The influx has however slowed recently to around 2,000 Iraqis a day entering Syria and 250 a day entering Jordan, he added.

However the spokesman warned that if new waves of refugees were to begin crossing the borders, UNHCR would have to consider opening up refugee camps either in Iraq or in the host countries.

There is meanwhile growing resentment at the situation in Syria, where food prices have shot up 35 per cent, real estate costs risen 135 per cent, electricity charges increased by 27 per cent and the crime rate has climbed by up to 20 per cent in the last two years. With refugees already from Palestine and the Golan Heights in Syria, many believe that authorities in the country are struggling to cope.

Both Syria and Jordan fear that the problem is a threat to stability across the region, said Nouicer.

UNHCR said the humanitarian context of Iraq had been neglected. It has invited governments, NGOs, international organizations and humanitarian agencies to address the issue at a conference due to be held next month in Geneva.