Lebanon to Attend Conference on Iraqi Refugees

by **Admin** Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:38 am

Jordan said Sunday it has invited officials from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt to a conference this week to develop closer cooperation in coping with hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees.
United Nations officials and representatives from Turkey and Iran are also taking part in the one-day meeting on Tuesday as "observers," Nawaf al-Tal of the foreign ministry told AFP.

"Representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council as well the Group of Eight might attend the technical meeting to discuss the situation of Iraqi refugees and the needs of these countries," he added.

Last month, the U.N. refugee agency appealed for more aid for Syria and Jordan to help them cope with the cost of sheltering almost two million Iraqis who fled the violence in their country after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The tiny desert kingdom has said it estimated the costs of sheltering between 500,000 and 750,000 Iraqi refugees over the past three years at more than two billion dollars, and appealed again for international help.

The UNHCR has sought 261 million dollars (177 million euros) this year to help more than four million people uprooted by the conflict in Iraq, including the internally displaced.(AFP)

Beirut, 16 Mar 08, 18:03