Jordan Times
Friday, October 20, 2006
Hashemi concludes three-day official visit
Jordan and Iraq on Thursday discussed the situation of Iraqis in the country and facilities they are offered at the border crossing. During a meeting with Iraqi
Vice President Tareq Hashemi, who concluded a three-day official visit later in the day, Minister of Interior Eid Fayez said the government is following up on
His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to provide Iraqis residing in Jordan and those passing through the border crossing with all facilities possible. He also
referred to the King’s directives to cooperate with Iraqis to reinforce security at the border. Fayez said the Iraqi community in Jordan is law-abiding and
observes regulations in effect. The minister’s remarks echoed statements by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit who met with Hashemi the day before. According to
2004 figures issued by the Department of Statistics, Iraqis constitute 10 per cent of expatriate population of 350,000. In a recent press release, Fayez said
there are no accurate statistics currently of Iraqis residing in Jordan, but he played down rumours that put the figure at more than one million. For his part,
the Iraqi vice president said his meeting with the minister was “to thank the Ministry of Interior for providing Iraqis in Jordan with the needed facilities
and taking care of them.” He added that the Iraqi government is aware of Jordan’s economic and social burden as a result of the “great numbers of Iraqis
in Jordan.”