Deputy premier, UN official discuss refugees’ affairs

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi on Saturday discussed Iraqi refugees’ affairs with the UNHCR’s representative in Baghdad. “Issawi received Daniel Endres in his Baghdad-based office and discussed with him the affairs of Iraqi refugees in neighboring and European countries,” according to a statement released by Issawi’s office and received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The meeting also tackled internally displaced persons (IDPs) and means of returning them to their places of origin, according to the statement. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated 4.4 million Iraqi refugees have left their houses in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion, including 2.2 million internally displaced persons. Nearly 1.4 million Iraqis are currently living in Syria, more than 500,000 others in Jordan, and fewer numbers in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and Gulf countries. SS (P) 1