Jordan Times
Friday, July 27, 2007
Jordan reiterates call for assistance
Jordan on Thursday called on the international community to issue “immediate and direct assistance” to help it maintain
services to hundreds of thousands of Iraqis residing in the country.
The call was made during a one-day meeting in Amman for Iraqi-hosting countries, particularly Jordan and Syria.
“Iraqi-hosting countries are currently under immense pressure in services offered, infrastructure, natural resource strain,
security, and particularly the health and educational sectors, as a result of the huge number of Iraqi guests,” Interior
Ministry secretary general and head of the Jordanian delegation, Mkhaimar Abu Jamous, told the gathering.
The Jordanian official reiterated a plea made in April during a UN conference in Geneva when it was revealed that Iraqi
guests are costing the Kingdom $1 billion a year.
Abu Jamous stressed that the mounting pressure adds to the intensity of problems related to the country’s meagre resources,
particularly water. Jordan, he noted, is already one of the world’s thirstiest countries in the world.
He also highlighted the security challenge posed by the consequences of the war in Iraq.
“The security situation is what is driving Iraqis to leave their country… The increase of Iraqis in the Kingdom has amounted
to a higher cost on the budget to provide security,” Abu Jamous said.
The United Nations estimates that over two million Iraqis have fled from violence in Iraq to neighbouring countries with
around 50,000 more who continue to do so each month.
Jordan, in respect to its population of nearly 5.5 million, has absorbed around 750,000, according to UN estimates. This
means that around one in every eight persons living in the Kingdom is an Iraqi national.
Jordan’s unemployment rate is around 15 per cent which leaves the government unable to give preferential treatment to Iraqis
with respect to issuing large number of residency permits allowing them to work.
Syria, with a population of around three times the size of Jordan’s, has also taken in around 1.5 million Iraqis and its
government estimates it is allowing an additional 30,000 a month to enter.
The Syrian head of delegation raised much of the same concerns as Jordan, adding the US must shoulder its responsibilities
and extend direct assistance to hosts.
UN officials have repeatedly warned the international community that Jordan and Syria are under severe strain “particularly
in the health and education sectors” and must not be ignored.
Director of the Jordan Information Centre Bisher Khasawneh noted that Jordan’s educational system, already strained because
of natural growth, struggles to stand up to the challenge posed by the Iraqi community.
He explained that the ratio between students to teacher has become a problem and that some schools are being forced to
return to the infamous double shift system because of extra number of Iraqi students who are attending public schools.
The government, upon directives by King Abdullah, admits all Iraqi school-age children into public and private schools, even
if they do not hold residency permits.
A government source told The Jordan Times that around 50,000 Iraqi children are receiving education in some of Jordan’s 3,200
schools.
Iraqis are also ensured open access to public health services that are “heavily subsidised” at around 65 per cent, Khasawneh
said.
In his address at yesterday’s meeting, secretary general of Iraq’s foreign ministry, Mohammad Al Hajj Al Hmoud, called on
host countries to facilitate more residency permits, allow Iraqis holding non-G series passports to continue to enter
borders and provide better health and educational facilities until conditions are suitable for their return.
“It is the duty of the international community and in particular neighbouring countries to provide assistance to displaced
Iraqis,” Hmoud said.
On the eve of the meeting that was attended by members representing Iraq, Syria, Egypt, the UN, the EU and the Arab League,
Amnesty International (AI) released a statement urging the international community to support Jordan and Syria both
financially and by establishing generous resettlement programmes for the Iraqis in greatest need of protection.
“It is vital that states who pledged funds to help at a previous conference last April to honour their commitments, which
all too few have done to date.”
AI said that $25 million pledged by Iraq’s government had still not materialised.
A list of recommendations was released at the conclusion of the meeting, in which participants collectively agreed that all
parties should work towards the return of security and stability in Iraq since it is the deteriorating security situation
that is forcing Iraqis to leave their country.
They recommended Iraqi nationals of all ethnic backgrounds to return to their country to participate in its political
recovery.
The meeting was also attended by supervisors from Iran, Turkey, Russia, US, UK and Japan.