Damascus // The head of the United Nations' refugee agency has urged the international community to stop forceable returns of Iraqis to Baghdad, warning that the crisis facing Iraq and its people is far from over.
In hard-edged remarks made yesterday, Antonio Guterres, the UNHCR's high commissioner, said conditions in Iraq could not yet sustain a return of refugees. Citing a lack of security, failures to achieve political reconciliation and a shortage of basic services, he said a "lot of work" needed to be done before exiles could be expected to go home.
Mr Guterres condemned the policies of western nations - and some Arab states - which have been expelling Iraqi asylum seekers or refusing them entry, contrasting that with Syria's "generous" open door policy for Iraqis fleeing violence.
"Syria has been hosting a large number of Iraqis with a huge impact on the economy and society, paying a heavy price for its generosity," he said at a media conference in Damascus. "It is doing so without harassing them, without pushing them back and this is an example that should be followed everywhere.
"Unfortunately some countries are trying to force Iraqis back to Baghdad which, in the present circumstances, is against our advice."
Britain, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have all been trying to deport Iraq asylum seekers who have not been officially accepted as refugees there. 42 Iraqis were expelled from the UK last week and flown to Baghdad airport. Many have since claimed they were physically abused by British security officials in the process, allegations the UN is investigating.
Britain denies any wrongdoing and said all 42 had been allowed to appeal to the courts against deportation, but had seen their cases rejected.
The British prime minister, David Cameron, defended the policy of forceable returns, saying UK troops had died to free Iraq and that it was now safe enough for refugees to go home.
However, speaking on World Refugee Day, Mr Guterres rejected that position and said that Iraqis could not be expected to return until political reconciliation had taken place in Baghdad - the only long term solution, he said, to persistent violence and instability.
With a new government yet to be formed, and with a recent surge in attacks - including two suicide bombs yesterday that killed 26 people - there is little prospect of that happening soon. Until it does, the UN refugee chief called on the world to provide Iraqi asylum seekers with the help they need.
"I appeal to the international community not to consider that this is a problem that is solved and to engage in more meaningful support to the refugees themselves and the host countries that are paying such a high price for their hospitality," Mr Guterres said.
As well as sustained financial aid, the UNHCR high commissioner urged the West to offer more resettlement options for Iraqis, and to speed up the process by which refugees are moved to their new homes once their cases have been approved.
The United Nations in Syria this week submitted its 100,000th Iraqi for resettlement in the West. The woman in question, who fled her home in 2007 after her husband and school-aged son were killed near Fallujah, sat next to Mr Guterres as he made his comments.
Identified only as Maysoon, she and her two daughters - one of them was shot twice but survived - have been accepted for resettlement in Canada.
Of those 100,000 put forward for resettlement, fewer than 53,000 have actually moved. The process typically takes many months to complete.
According to the most recent UN statistics, Iraqis continue to register as asylum seekers in Syria. Between May and the start of the year, 8,782 new refugees have been added to UN rolls, far outstripping the number who leave. Almost 166,000 Iraqis are recognised as refugees by the UNHCR in Damascus, although the Syrian authorities insist the real number is far higher.
A clear majority are Sunni Arabs from Baghdad, a city that was, to a large extent, ethnically divided in the sectarian civil war of 2005 to 2007.
In addition to his criticism of the international community's response to the Iraq refugee problem, Mr Guterres said the Iraqi authorities needed to "do more".
"My opinion is not only that the Iraqi government engages in support for the refugee communities outside the country but also to engages in a meaningful and effective programme to prepare for voluntary return of Iraqis to their homeland," he said.
"That depends on security, and security requires an effective reconciliation but it also depends on a lot of other work preparing the measures necessary to make repatriation sustainable: property restitution, compensation, integration of basic services like education and health and public distribution systems."
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
