Iraq to hand back 138 Iranian refugees

The Iraqi foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Iraq will hand over tomorrow 138 refugees, with all of them retunring back home voluntarily. A statement by the Iraqi foreign ministry said that preparations were taken to transport the refugees to al-Basra, noting that the Iraqi side prepared a center at the "Arab coast" area to receive and accommodate the refugees and displaced from the two countries.

The statement added the center will open its doors on Friday ( Tomorrow). Baghdad said in November 2001 it had agreed with Iran on the need that the refugee will have the liberty to take a decision on whether they wish to return back home, after the two sides have confirmed their nationality.

However, there are no official figures for the number of Iraqis who fled to Iran during the Gulf war nor for the number of the Iranian minorities who fled to Iraq during the Iranian- Iraqi war during the 1980s.