Middle East News
Amnesty deplores lack of international help for Iraq refugees
Sep 24, 2007, 7:00 GMT
London - Human rights group Amnesty International has called on the international community to 'meet its moral obligation' in trying to help the millions of Iraqis who have fled their homes, especially to neighbouring Syria and Jordan.
Especially Britain, as one of the leaders of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, should be helping the estimated 2 million people who have fled to Syria, Jordan and Europe, a report published in London said Monday.
It was 'staggering' that Britain had instead forcibly returned more people to Iraq than any other European country, said the report.
'International support for Iraq has been seriously insufficient,' it stated.
'The international community has largely ignored the plight of millions of Iraqis displaced inside and outside Iraq.
'It's staggering that the UK is sending people back to Iraq when it should be helping Syria and Jordan to cope with this refugee crisis,' Amnesty's director for Britain, Kate Allen, said.
The report warned that lack of support from the international community meant Syria and Jordan were preparing to tighten their borders, cutting off escape routes for those trying to flee from the violence in Iraq.
The 'modest steps' taken so far by the international community do not match up to the magnitude of the crisis, said Amnesty.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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