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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 9525
Contents Publication in full By article 14 / 30
GENERAL NEWS / (eu) eu/jha

EU must open doors to Iraqi asylum seekers, says HCR

Brussels, 17/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 16 October, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres called on European countries to accept refugees from war-torn Iraq. “Keeping the asylum door open in Europe is absolutely crucial in the present moment,” he said before meeting European Commissioner Franco Frattini, who is responsible for immigration issues. There had to be a certain consistency and a certain coordination among EU countries, Guterres added, according to AFP, pointing out that there were two million displaced persons inside Iraq and a further two million had fled to neighbouring countries, with 1.4 million in Syria and over 500,000 in Jordan. “The risk of asylum fatigue in the area is of course enormous” if Europe did not continue to afford asylum, he argued, speaking of the negative reaction from Iraq's neighbours when a European country refuses entry to about a hundred Iraqi asylum seekers. (B.C.)

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