Jordan postpones closure of al-Rweished refugees camp
Jordan-Iraq, Politics, 1/1/2004

Jordan has postponed its plans to close al-Rweished camp, which includes hundreds of persons who resorted to Jordan from Iraq during the American invasion.

The spokeswoman for the Jordanian government, Asmaa al-Khuder, said that this decision came for humanitarian reasons. The spokeswoman stressed the decision has been delayed following talks with the representatives of the UNHCR in Amman ,Steen Brony, to keep al-Rweished camp on the Jordanian- Iraqi borders open for one or two months at most.

She added that this measure will allow UNHCR and international organizations necessary time to take necessary measures to help scores of refugees, the majority of them are Palestinians, Sudanese and Somalis.

The spokeswoman said that several of those refugees accepted to be refugees in other countries, while others expressed readiness to return back to Iraq, or their homeland.

For her part, the spokewoman for the UNHCR in Amman said that the organization received assurances from the Jordanian government that the camp will continue to be open until after January, 2004.

She said that Steen Brony met with the Jordanian prime minister, Faisal al-Fayez, several days ago, and gave him plans concerning persons who are in al-Rweished camp.

She added that the plan says that 10 Sudanese and Somalis returned back voluntarily to Iraq on Tuesday, while other 14 expected return to their original countries within two days.

There are still 427 Palestinian carrying Iraqi documents, and 46 Sudanese and Somalis and five Iranian in al-Rweished camp, according to the UNHCR.

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