Assyrian Democratic Organization ADO
Damascus – Thenews — Syria may eventually try to restrain a flood of more than a million Iraqi refugees fleeing a nightmare that could get worse, international aid officials say.
The influx, swelled by 30,000 to 40,000 newcomers a month, is straining the resources of a country that has so far upheld an open-door policy dictated by its Arab nationalist ideology. “Little by little, the attitude of the Syrian population to the Iraqis is changing,” Laurens Jolles, representative of the UN refugee agency in Damascus, told reporters this week.
“While there still is a degree of empathy, they are also starting to feel the consequences of this very large number of Iraqis in terms of schooling and access to clinics.” Jolles said many Syrians were also blaming Iraqis, fairly or unfairly, for soaring rents, prices and a perceived crime wave.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the lead agency helping Syria cope with the Iraqis seeking sanctuary from the sectarian bloodshed shredding their homeland.
Jean-Jacques Fresard, chief delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said he also feared Syria might reconsider its welcome to the refugees, especially amid growing public resentment and security worries.
“You can reasonably fear that at some stage the Syrians might say ok, that’s it, the boat is full. They might not completely close the borders but they will be more reluctant to take all the newcomers. This is very preoccupying,” he said. Syrian officials were not immediately available for comment. Despite the growing refugee burden, only Syria has kept its borders open. Jordan, Egypt and other countries have made it much harder, if not impossible, for Iraqis to gain entry.
Iraqis can cross freely into Syria, stay three months and renew their permits for three months before they must return to the border and re-enter on the same conditions. Earlier this year the authorities briefly insisted that Iraqis who had stayed six months must leave for a month before coming back, creating great anxiety and many protests among refugees, but soon reverted to the old policy, Jolles said. In practice, many Iraqis stay without renewing their papers and the Syrian authorities have rarely cracked down, he added.
