Syria stops taking refugees from Iraq

"Syria, the last Arab country welcoming large numbers of Iraqi refugees, is now all but closing the gates and leaving 40,000 Iraqis who flee their country each month with almost no place to go.
The new rules _ imposed without any official announcement _ also strike fear of deportation into the 1 million Iraqis already here. The worsening humanitarian crisis has resulted in calls for action by members of the U.S. Congress and a plea from the United Nations for more countries to help out.
'It's not fair that the burden is not being shared effectively. A very limited number of countries is paying a very heavy price,' Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said on a recent tour of the Mideast."

source
Mroue, Bassem. (The Associated Press). Syria Bars Iraq Refugees, Crisis Worsens. February 12, 2007.

posted: tuesday, february 13, 2007, 7:17 PM ET

tags: iraq refugee syria