Posted on 11/27/2007 2:29:53 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -
Hundreds of Iraqi refugees boarded buses for home on Tuesday in the first convoy from an Iraqi-funded effort to speed the return of families that fled the country's violence and insecurity.
Many Iraqis have headed back on own their own from Syria and elsewhere as extremist attacks have fallen sharply in Baghdad and other areas. But now the Iraqi government is hoping to accelerate the flow - and draw more attention to the recent drop in violence - by offering to pay for trips home.
The program also seeks to win favor from neighboring countries such as Syria and Jordan that are struggling with an estimated 2.2 million Iraqi refugees. Syria has tightened visa rules for Iraqis in hopes of forcing people to return home and blocking new refugees.
"Baghdad, you are victorious," chanted some Iraqis as they headed for a line of 20 buses that would carry about 800 refugees to the border. From there, Iraqi buses are scheduled to bring them to Baghdad on Wednesday, said according to Mohammed Ali al-Budairi, a coordinator for displaced Iraqis in Syria.
The entire trip can take about 10 hours without interruptions, but the convoy will likely be delayed by checkpoints and security precautions. Details about the protection for the convoy was not immediately disclosed.
Khaled Ibrahim, 45, said he was willing to return to Baghdad after hearing the security situation had improved in the capital. But he acknowledged he could pull up stakes again at the first signs of trouble.
"If I go and discover that the situation is not stable, I will come back" to Syria, said Ibrahim, with his wife, three sons and two daughters in tow.
His elder son Abdullah, 13, looked forward to attending school in Baghdad. "Explosions don't scare me," he chirped.
The first bus left by mid-afternoon from al-Sayda Zeinab, an area in southern Damascus where thousands of Iraqi refugees have lived since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.
Syrian officials says the country has up to 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, straining its education, health and housing systems. Jordan estimates it has up to 700,000 Iraqis. In addition, the U.N. refugee agency has cited various reports of more than 2.4 million Iraqis displaced inside the country.
Adnan al-Shourifi, the commercial secretary at the Iraqi Embassy in Damascus, described the bus convoy Tuesday as a "test."
Thousands of Iraqis in Syria have headed back home in the past weeks. The U.S. military says attacks across Iraq have fallen to their lowest level since February 2006, attributing this partly to a surge of nearly 30,000 troops earlier this year and cooperation from local groups fighting extremist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi embassy in Damascus set up 11 registration centers for Iraqis to apply for the trip home. In Jordan, Iraqi ambassador Saad al-Hayyani told The Associated Press that Iraq will give Jordan $8 million to help ease the refugee burden.
In Baghdad, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the "Iraqi government is eager to have Iraqis return to their country and live a normal, safe life." He said more bus convoys of returning refugees are expected in the coming days.
Officials in Iraq and Syria have said more than 46,000 refugees returned in October and the flow has continued this month. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees could not confirm the figures, but said more Iraqis were leaving Syria than arriving - with a daily average of 1,500 departures compared with 500 arrivals.
Sybella Wikes, press officer for the UNHCR in Syria, said the agency doesn't "think it's time" yet for a massive refugee return.
"We certainly can't define the situation as being safe in any area in Iraq," she said.
But she added the organization still would "support any Iraqi who wants to return."
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., arrived in Damascus to stress U.S. "concern about the welfare of displaced Iraqis in Syria and Jordan" and "review the situation of Iraqi refugees," a U.S. Embassy statement said. She planned to hold talks with Syrian officials, non-governmental organizations and other agencies.
--
Good news ping!
Murtha, Pelosi, and Reid are not happy!
Speaking of which... they haven't come out of their worm hole since Thanksgiving break.
Shhhhh!!!
Don’t tell the Drive Bys on CNN or PMSNBC!!
Love it!
I though they were all on a taxpayers junket somewhere.
Good to hear this!
You will not hear this on CNN, ABC,CBS or NBC news!
ping
“Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., arrived in Damascus to stress U.S. “concern about the welfare of displaced Iraqis in Syria and Jordan” and “review the situation of Iraqi refugees,” a U.S. Embassy statement said. She planned to hold talks with Syrian officials, non-governmental organizations and other agencies.”
Oh and by the way, Rep. McCollum, there are a few AMERICAN citizens fighting for our freedom in nearby Iraq. You may want to stop by and check on their “welfare”, if you have time.
Now, if we couuld accomplish this with all the illegals.
Has anyone interviewed Pelosi recently, like in the last 6 months about all the positive news in Iraq, to hear her acknowledge the surge worked, and the war wasn’t an utter failure? Seriously.
there goes the opportunity for the UN to establish another 'refugee' enclave. Must be very dissappointing for the UN that the Iraqi's prefer to go home.
i doubt Pelosi or Harry Reid are giving interviews on the topic....
Someone should publish some pictures of this! Fantastic!
Now if we could get them to accept a couple of million new citizens from “Palestinian” “refugee” camps...
Yeah! This is so great!! 800 people per day going home!!!
2.2 million refugees divided by 800 divided by 365 means it’ll only be 7.5 YEARS before everyone gets home.
Of course, once they get there, they’ll still have to deal with the squatters in their houses and businesses, along with the infrastructure problems....
So what’s your point? No one should be allowed to go back to there country that they came from? I think this is a very positive sign of stability in the region.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.