World must help in easing plight of displaced Iraqis, UN refugee chief says

The support of the international community is vital in easing the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as the increased pressure on countries like Syria and Jordan, which together host more than 1 million Iraqis, the head of the United Nations refugee agency has said.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres was in Kuwait today on the second the second-leg of a weeklong Middle East mission that has taken him so far to Saudi Arabia, where he and urged the authorities to take an active part in a UNHCR conference on the Iraqi humanitarian crisis due to be held in Geneva in mid-April.

In talks with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and other top Saudi Arabian officials in Riyadh, the capital, at the weekend Mr. Guterres cited the need for a strong partnership between UNHCR and the Muslim world.

He stressed the plight of some 15,000 Palestinians in Iraq, calling on the Saudi leaders to use their influence to help find a solution for this tragedy and noting Saudi Arabia’s long tradition of protecting asylum seekers and refugees.

Palestinians in Baghdad have faced mounting intimidation and violence, and hundreds have fled to border areas, where they live in desperate conditions unable to cross the frontier. UNHCR in January issued a $60 million appeal to fund its work for uprooted Iraqis within their country and in neighbouring States, and for non-Iraqi refugees in Iraq.

Mr. Guterres outlined his vision for a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia on a political, humanitarian and financial level and proposed that Saudi leaders take part in regular high-level consultations with UNHCR. He invited the Saudi Red Crescent chief, Prince Faisal, to visit Geneva to discuss joint activities.

He also said UNHCR was keen to forge closer relations with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). “Some 5 million refugees cared for by UNHCR originate from Organization of the Islamic Conference member or observer States, and most of them are cared for in OIC countries,” he told his Saudi hosts.

Today Mr. Guterres met with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as well as with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Later today he was expected to travel to Jordan and on Thursday and Friday he is scheduled to visit Syria.