Most Iraqi refugees being resettled go to US

By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS, The Associated Press
10:01 a.m. October 16, 2009

GENEVA — More than 30,000 Iraqis have moved to the United States under a resettlement program that began in 2007 while much smaller numbers have gone to other countries, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has recommended to the participating countries the names of 82,500 Iraqis who should be moved, but so far only 33,000 have been able go to their new homelands, said spokesman Andrej Mahecic.

"Everyone is urgent," said Mahecic, but he stressed that priority should be given to medical emergencies and to women and children at particular risk.
He said the refugees have been determined to be in need of international protection and that no other solution is possible.

The program started slowly in 2007 after the United States in particular came under criticism for accepting few refugees but "things are picking up," said Mahecic.

The administration of former President George W. Bush, which was criticized for failing to move faster in helping Iraqi refugees, blamed its slow pace on enhanced security checks.

UNHCR says more than a half million Iraqi refugees are in need of resettlement, but that the agency hasn't been able to examine each case yet. Most of the 2 million Iraqi refugees overall are living without permanent homes in neighboring Syria and Jordan.

The agency said a total of 33,117 Iraqi refugees have been resettled since the program began in 2007, with 3,752 the first year, 17,770 last year and 11,595 in the first six months of this year.

Canada was in second place, accepting 1,890 total Iraqi refugees, followed by Australia with 1,757 and Sweden with 1,180.

Other countries that have received Iraqi refugees under the program included Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, Britain and Brazil.

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