Palestinians at the Iraq-Syria border

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at the press briefing, on 9 November2007, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The situation in the Palestinian camps at the Iraq-Syria border remains very
precarious for nearly 2,000 Palestinians trapped there. In recent weeks, the
camps have been blasted by sandstorms, making life even harder. The
population of Al Tanf camp in the no-man's land between Iraq and Syria
increased to 437 in recent weeks when Syrian authorities took 97
Palestinians who had entered Syria from Iraq during the past year with
forged documents to the camp.

Another camp inside Iraq, Al Waleed, is currently hosting 1,560 Palestinian
refugees and the number is expected to increase as new families continue to
arrive at the camp. Our staff report that 30-40 persons arrive on a weekly
basis fleeing ongoing threats and attacks in Baghdad. The conditions in the
camp, located in the desert near the border with Syria, are harsh,
especially with the approaching winter.

We continue seek better solutions, including resettlement options, for the
refugees - both within and outside the region. Earlier this year, we
appealed for specific support and urgent medical resettlement for vulnerable
and sick children in Al Waleed camp as they are unable to find medical
treatment in Iraq. So far we resettled one family of eight with several sick
children from the camp to Norway in August. We still have 11 medical cases
submitted for resettlement that are pending approval. Meanwhile, we continue
to identify other Palestinian medical cases, such as cancer patients and
children with birth defects, who need urgent care. So far, we have only had
positive indications from Chile and Sudan and continue to look for other
additional solutions.

We have been working closely with our partners, such as the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Palestinian and Syrian Red
Crescent Societies to improve the living conditions of the refugees in the
camps.

We estimate that some 13,000 Palestinians are still living in Baghdad,
facing ongoing threats.

There's also some good news regarding the Palestinians. On Monday, the
Ruweished camp in Jordan was emptied when the last families left for
resettlement in Brazil. The camp, which once provided shelter for some 1,000
refugees, is not expected to reopen. Located about 70 kilometres from the
border with Iraq, it was set up in 2003 and housed Somalis and Iranian Kurds
as well as Palestinians and Iraqis fleeing violence in Iraq. Most were
resettled in third countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, New
Zealand, Sweden and the United States.

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