Region | Iraq
UN may scale back fiscal aid for refugees
Despite US pressure over the past month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has yet to provide significant financial support for the nearly 2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria and Lebanon, according to administration and congressional sources.
- By Walter Pincus, Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service
- Published: 00:07 May 18, 2008
Washington: Despite US pressure over the past month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has yet to provide significant financial support for the nearly 2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria and Lebanon, according to administration and congressional sources.
The United Nations has told donors that it may scale back its assistance to the effort because of insufficient funds.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - whose programmes for Iraqi refugees and displaced people are projected to cost more than $800 million (Dh2.93 billion) this year, according to the State Department - informed a meeting of donor nations last week that it may need to slash support for Iraqis in Syria and Jordan because the agency has received only 60 per cent of the funds it needs to help Iraqi refugees the rest of this year.
Last month, State Department officials told Congress that many countries have held back funds for refugees because the Iraqi government has delivered only $15 million to Syria, where there are about 1 million refugees; $2 million to Lebanon, where there are 200,000; and pledged $8 million to Jordan, where there are some 500,000. Ambassador James Foley, the State Department coordinator for Iraq refugees, said at the time that the United States would press the Al Maliki government to increase its support.
"They are going to have to find a way to say yes," said a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the issue publicly. The official added that Ryan Crocker, the ambassador to Iraq, is providing the Iraqi government with data on the types of assistance needed.
"We by no means consider this over," the official said. "We are determined to get a yes, and high-level discussions continue."
Michelle Gabaudan, the UNHCR representative in Washington, said that Iraq's reluctance to offer funding "is a factor in dampening other countries' contributions."
Foley told Congress last month that Gulf states and European countries are waiting for Baghdad to put up more money before boosting their own contributions.
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