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Jordan "following up" on Palestinians in Ruweished camp
The government is following up on the conditions of hundreds of Palestinians stranded in a refugee camp near the Jordanian border with Iraq, with some of them reportedly going into a hunger strike to draw attention to their plight. âWe are working with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and with several Arab and international countries to find a solution for them,â Minister of State and Government Spokesperson Asma Khader said during her weekly press briefing yesterday. In the aftermath of the US-UK invasion and occupation of Iraq, hundreds of Palestinians residing in Iraq fled the country and have been living in tents at a refugee camp near the border city of Ruweished for over a year. Most of them refuse to go back to Iraq due to the lack of security in the war-stricken country. Khader said the ideal solution for these refugees, mainly those who have travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, is to be granted access to their home. âThis, however, first needs coordination with Israel and the Palestinian Authority,â she said. Reuters quoted UNHCR representative in Jordan, Sten Brunee, as saying that while Palestinian authorities would welcome the refugees, Israel has refused to allow them in. Regarding Palestinians who hold travel documents issued by Arab countries, namely Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, Khader said: âWe hope they will be accepted by these countries.â Another solution, she said, is for the UNHCR to find a country that will allow entry to these refugees for humanitarian reasons. However, according to Brunee, âno government in the region is willing to accept even a small number of them.â Khader emphasised yesterday that Jordan would not grant access to any new Palestinian refugees under any circumstances. âAccepting any new refugees now carries risks for the future,â she said. The Kingdom, which currently hosts around 1.7 million Palestinian refugees, has repeatedly announced it will not accept any new refugee as such a move contradicts with the right of return for Palestinians under UN Resolution 194 and the Arab peace initiative, which Jordan strongly supports. In August, the government allowed over 350 Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians, who were residing in the Ruweished camp, to enter the Kingdom with their husbands and children. Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-05-10 |
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