Iraq: first UN-assisted refugee convoy arrives back home to scenes of joy

The first United-Nations assisted return of Iraqi refugees since the fall of Saddam Hussein culminated in scenes of rejoicing in the southern city of Basra today with the arrival of 240 people who had spent the last 12 years in exile in camps in the Saudi Arabian desert.

But though the historic journey that began yesterday in the Rafha refugee camp marked the start of voluntary repatriation in the post-Hussein era, the UN refugee agency reiterated its assertions that Iraq is not yet ready for the mass return of hundreds of thousands of exiles.

“UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) is glad to see the first group of Iraqi refugees going home, but returns must be kept small and manageable for some time to come," the agency’s assistant high commissioner, Kamel Morjane, said. "Due to security problems and the still fragile humanitarian and economic situation inside Iraq, we're only aiding those refugees who want to go back."

Describing the scene in Basra today, Mohammed Adar, UNHCR's emergency team leader, said: "I had misgivings in the beginning about this return, but when I saw the mothers greeting their sons, the scenes of joy, it was very emotional and very moving."

More than 3,600 Iraqis at Rafha camp have registered for repatriation and will be transported home in convoys leaving every 10 days, with future movements planned for Al Muthana, Dhi Qar Najaf and Nasariyah.

UNHCR also plans to start small return convoys from Iran's Ashrafi camp in early August. More than 200 refugees there have already signed up for repatriation to Basra and other southern areas.

Since the end of the war, UNHCR has been expanding its presence in Iraq to deal eventually with the anticipated return of more than 500,000 refugees, including more than 204,000 in Iran.

Meanwhile in Baghdad, the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, met with Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative for Iraq, SergioVieira de Mello, to discuss the issue of what is called “needs assessment.”

“This type of work has been done with Sergio in a number of places; in the Balkans and East Timor and now we are back here looking at somewhat different scale of problems that will allow us to build close relationships we had with UNDP (UN Development Programme) and others including the European Union,” Mr. Wolfensohn said.