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Second half of August 2007
17/10/2007
Iraqi Refugees in Syria
1- Fact-Fining Mission
 During
the second half of August, a mission including prof.
Violet Dagher and Mr. Nasser Ghazali headed to the Arab
Republic of Syria to investigate the real situation of
the Iraqi refugees in Syria that receives the biggest
number of Iraqis during an era in which all the
countries became accustomed to watching their severe
sufferings. Refuge and replacement seem to be within
systemized plans, not only a result of the killings and
violations in Iraq; the refugees' number is immensely
growing. Consequently, our mission aimed at making the
world- especially the international and Arab civil
society, including the charitable and humanitarian
societies- feel the real status of the Iraqi refugees in
Syria and ask the charitable people to help them,
because the whole world- Arabs and non-Arabs,
governments and people, media, human rights activists,
and charitable societies are all blamed for neglecting
the Iraqi people and their issue; all of us should feel
responsible for the miserable status suffered by Iraq.
We should not be careless about the crimes and
atrocities practiced in Iraq. What the refugees receive
is very little compared to what should be offered by
Arab and international NGOs. Meanwhile, the Arab and
non-Arab rich states recklessly and blindly deal with
the issue in an inhumane manner; the Iraqi government is
accused of ignoring its people's sufferings and misery
without helping the people of the second oil reserve in
the world, while neglecting the treasury to lose through
theft, contraband, speculations, black market, and money
transferal for buying weapons and protecting the
business of multi-national companies.
Likewise, the Iraqi religious
foundations seem to do nothing for their fellow
citizens; the rich Iraqis are the same; they prefer
spending money shamelessly on the luxurious life, even
though they have not gain such riches through legal
honorable ways, while they could perform charitable
works in order to aid their needy natives or invest
their money in establishing universities, hospitals, or
service projects. On the other hand, the Arab media is
whether unable, conniving, or restraining. Actually, if
it were objective and powerful it would turn the world
upside down. Indeed the media paved the way for the
partition of Iraq and people were forced out from the
route of striving policies by the tyrannical dominance
of their rulers through making them crave after the
morsel of bread and necessities of life.
Certainly, there are many sides
concerning themselves about the Iraqi issue and aiding
its people, but they moved lately because they have not
known how to give the aids to the various needy classes
of refugees and in a direct way ensuring that they
already avail themselves of such aids. This is the last
hope for such mutual effort to contribute in shedding
more light on the Iraqi refugees issue in Syria and
leads to the serious honest work and futuristic
projects. Here, we should express our great gratitude to
everyone involved in this report whether by devoting his
time for an interview, sending letters, or through our
dependence on his writings regarding such issue. In
addition, we apologize for not mentioning the names to
avoid mistakenly omitting someone or revealing something
may cause problems for them casting the responsibility
completely on them regarding information and numbers
they have provided, because of the lack of accurate
statistics and information.
2- The American
occupation against Iraq:
Before dedicating ourselves heartedly
to the situations of Iraqi refugees in Syria, we should
make a brief gesture about their situations in their
country, which forced them out and caused their
eviction. In the beginning, we call attestations to a
rich book with authenticated information that has been
issued recently by studies center of the Arab union and
the Arab committee for human rights. The book was
written by James Boll and Celine Nahory titled "War and
Occupation of Iraq".
The occupation forces have invaded
Iraq in March 2003 after an unprecedented economic siege
imposed by the United States on the country for 13
years. The occupation has invaded this country under the
pretext that the Iraqi regime produced the international
forbidden weapons, rejected to carry out the decisions
of the United Nations, and circulated that it will
spread democracy though out the Middle East. It did not
take long time to become proven that all such goals are
false, especially after the reports of inspection
committees, headed by Hans Blix, or after the collapse
of Iraq and the report of David K who issued some
evidences regarding the lack of massive destruction
weapons in Iraq. On the other hand, Bush admitted, in
2004 summer, that even though there are no massive
destruction weapons in Iraq, he would invade it.
The first shock for the public
opinion, nationally and internationally, during the
invasion of the Allied forces to Baghdad- the Iraqi
capital- was the abuse of Baghdad museum and then the
contents of the national bibliotheca which were lost
whether through theft by professional specialists or
through burning and devastation. A huge files,
manuscripts, maps, and rare pictures were lost in order
to wipe the deep-rooted history of Iraq out. However,
the sincere Iraqis refused such destiny for their
heritage and worked diligently in order to restore such
lost heritage.
This war costs the United States
nearly $8.4 billions monthly, according to what was
issued in Guardian newspaper in the summer of 2006. The
article was quoted from the report of Linda Blims (the
expert of budgets in Harvard University) and Joseph
Stiglitz (professor in Colombia University and the
winner of Nobel Prize in 2001). The number of American
soldiers in Iraq has reached 162,000, but because of the
retreat of supporting war against Iraq after four years,
the death of 3800 soldiers and the injury of 27,000,
besides the unknown number of the new mercenaries in the
private security companies, the American army faces
gross difficulties in mobilizing new batches of
soldiers. Therefore, the land forces will have a bonus
during the following year that reaches $200 million in
order to magnetize new elements from the mobilized
persons. Actually, the American youth turns away from
mobilization because of what is happening in Iraq, on
the other hand, the American army tries to keep its
elite soldiers from the tempting offers introduced by
the private sector or from discouragement because of the
resistance to war in Iraq.
Besides such numbers, there is a
great deal of hired mercenaries that their number may
exceed 100000 soldiers. Whereas the Ministry of Defense
employs nearly 7300 security contractors, the Foreign
Ministry deals with the notorious Black Water Company
which has, as known to everybody, shooting rates higher
than the other security companies in Iraq. One of the
scandalous files of the American occupation in Iraq was
recently revealed to world public opinion in America
itself; it became clear and left no room for doubt about
the nature of the American project in the area. After
targeting the dissolving of military and nation security
constitutions, the occupation replaced them by the
occupation forces and mercenaries companies that work
hard to control the new constitutions. As a result for
their persistence in committing gross atrocities,
murders, and plundering in Iraq, the role of such
companies was disclosed and the Iraqi government was
asked to end the authorization of their work in Iraq
because they are under the authority of Iraqi law.
Consequently, it is possible to stop their work and to
sue the involved persons. On the other hand, some Iraqis
view these companies as the protector of the
government's headquarters, the American embassy, the
senior foreign diplomatic characters, and besides it is
a part of the multinational forces, so they are exempted
from any judicial trial by the virtue of the decision 17
issued by Brimar in June 2003. Eventually, they returned
to work by the instructions of the American
administration which can in no way manage without such
companies that used as a security and military arm for
occupation.
Such forces mutually carried out the
explosions, destructions, and random or deliberate
murders, so more than 800,000 Iraqis were killed since
the collapse of Baghdad until the current time. Also,
they emigrated not less than four millions Iraqis,
kindled the sectarian conflicts, and worked deliberately
to partition Iraq politically, economically, socially,
and also from security aspect. The American
administration also worked hard to impose partition and
federations administratively and geographically and to
pass the laws which weaken the national unity, kindle
sectarianism, and ethnic conflicts through militias and
Special Forces that work according to the political
orders.
Some Iraqis said that the existing
forces in Iraq has sought the help of Israeli expertise
in siege to Palestine cities and towns through the siege
of earth barriers, barbed wires, trenches, and the
security dominance through the collective punishments.
Proving that, they mentioned that there are military
Israeli experts wearing the American uniform and work
among the American battalions in the west regions of
Iraq. They have started in partition Iraq into cantons
and sectarian territories, built a concrete barrier
around Al A`zamiyah city, separated the regions in the
west Karkh by high concrete barriers, and built barriers
around Hifa street, Al A`llawi, Al Kinidi street, and Al
Khadra' and Gardiyah districts provided that the
security inspection will be carried out through the
exclusive ID cards of the areas.
In the same time, there are many
testimonies regarding widening the official Iranian
influence in the south regions, others talked about the
distribution of huge money for some tribes and security
authorities in order to call for establishing
federations and forming their executive authorities, for
example, the issued statement by a group of tribes'
leaders regarding the construction of west region and
its political and security authorities. As for Kurdistan
region, we can disregard the military movements of Kurd
Bismarck forces in Karkouk to ensure the security of
electricity and gas lines and to fully dominate the
executive borders of Karkouk. This happens in
coincidence with the eviction of various racial and
sectarian families along with strongly worded threats
regarding the application of article 140 in the
occupation constitution with regard to Karkouk and
finding a compromise regarding the disputed regions in
Diali, Al Mousil, and Wasit governorate. The testimonies
of emigrants from Karkouk are wholly agreed that the
adopted policy states a readied national concept for the
town and its surrounding and the Kurd forces try hard to
impose it upon all. The report of United Nations
assistance mission for Iraq has criticized the national
policy of the government expressing their doubts about
the continuous hassles against women which exaggerates
to reach killing, asking the concerned authorities to
rapidly resolve the problems of emigrant families to
Kurdistan, especially the Christians, and emphasizing
the necessity to allot additional resources in order to
satisfy their needs.
International Committee of the Red
Cross made a sign, in its report, about the hidden
tragedy of thousands of families of lost people whose
destinies are still could not be determined after many
years of conflicts and lack of calling to account. Some
Iraq official sources estimated them nearly as 1,375,000
thousand, i.e., including the lost during Iraqi-Iranian
war (1980 – 1988), during the Gulf war in 1991, and
during the American invasion in 2003 and the violent
accts since that time until this moment. The
International Committee has also announced that,
according to Iraqi sources, nearly 20,000 corpses were
transferred to Forensic Medicine Institute of Baghdad
between the outset 2006 and middle of 2007; indeed half
of such corpses was not known or recognized.
The Nation magazine, which made some
interviews with American soldiers returning from Iraq,
mentioned the familiar barbarous acts committed with no
punishments for them. Many of them view that it is
enough to regard the Iraqi as non-human beings like them
if he could not speak English or for his black color.
Consequently, he deserves anything they commit against
him. Moreover, such soldiers made some ethnic mockeries
of the culture, identity, and Iraqi customs, even after
the scandal of Abu Gharib, they continued to abuse the
arrested people, some of them are thousands of former
Iraqi military officials, moreover, the Iraqi men are
detained in the age of military service without any
evidence and they are abused during investigation, where
their hands are tied by plastic ties and their heads are
covered by sacks full of sand.
Since the beginning of this summer,
the news started to circulate regarding many
investigations about fraud and misuse of 1800 contracts
valued at billions dollars. Such contracts were
contracted in order to provide services in Iraq during
the years of occupation, for example, the contracts with
KBR Company which is a division of great Halliburton
Company which received billions of dollars since 2001 in
order to provide foods and shelter for the American army
in Iraq and Afghanistan; certainly it has benefited from
its relationship with Dick Chini, the vice American
president
Reflections and
outcomes
Consequently, some individuals from
the coalition forces dared to disclose the briberies,
thefts, and weapon trade even without providing the
bills (including 160 thousand pieces of weapons, which
were vanished between 2004 and 2005 and were found with
the forces of Kurdistan Democratic Party. Some of such
individuals have been detained arbitrarily and tortured
by the American army in Iraq. Apparently, everything
motivates them to behave barbarically, not to behave
honorably and objectively in order to reveal the facts.
A study by Associated Press
revealed that most of the individuals who unveiled the
facts during the last three decades were threatened and
had their families and professional life punished and
severely affected.
Some rumors in the United States
state that there are more than one hundred thousand
persons who are denied from travel, suffer from hassles
in the airports, and might be imprisoned. The famous
activists and writer, Nawmi Wolf, in her new book "The
End of America", said that in all probability that such
list is related to those who resist Bush and his policy.
Indeed this is the classic way of the totalitarian
regimes. The writer has started in survey about such
list in 2002 and broadened her work in 2003 after Bush
orders to the CIA to watch the "persons who have
terrorist intentions or links".
Indeed, she herself has not been
saved from the offensive treatment at airports for she
is enlisted- but not in that of the terrorists- in the
list of others, namely the teachers, journalists,
activists, and politicians who criticized the White
House polices. Like what was happened to Senator Edward
Kinidi who was successively frisked for five times at
American airports. Moreover, this is the fate of others
who were assaulted and harmed in order to renounce their
thoughts. Those who are against war in Iraq are the main
target of Bush-Chini administration, especially if they
are of feminist movements, NGOs, or politicians to the
extent that the treatments directed to them were nothing
but aggression and vulgarism in the so-called country of
freedom and democracy. In 2004, CBS TV channel obtained
a list including 75 thousand persons who should be
frisked strictly by the intelligence agents and should
be denied from travel if necessary.
The new American policy has searched
for the support of moderate Arab countries after it was
furious of their interference in the regional issues. In
the same time, it keeps on encouraging the local
Arab-Arab struggles in the countries neighboring Iraq
such as Palestine, Lebanon, and others; besides,
establishing the pivots' policy in the Middles East
aiming at promoting the idea of normalization with
Israel and kindling enmity against Iran. Also,
Washington has instructed the United Nations to widen
its political role only in the executive aspects not in
the constitutional competence in order to provide the
international political cover for the American role,
strengthen the elements of partition, prepare the
atmospheres for changing the mission of its forces and
redeploying them after having the legality from the
parliament in order to plunder the wealth and treasures
of Iraq. However, as for the oil law, there is an
American persistence to ratify it and relate this to the
national reconciliation under the pretext that this will
distribute the oil wealth between the regions and will
save them from conflict regarding the financial
resources. Actually, this will deprive the regions that
refuse the ethnic and racial partitions and will pave
the way for the governments of regions to dispose the
wealth of Iraqi people for the benefit of clannish,
separatist, and racial leaderships.
The American official statements
continued in casting the responsibility of deterioration
on Iran and Syria, focusing on sectarian violence, and
circulating that the Shiites and Sunnites in no way
could live together under the sky of old Iraq due to the
fact that they voted in the last election for the
benefits of their sects and they actually live
peacefully in the places inhabited by the same members
of their sects; this in accordance with their eviction
escaping violence.
In spite of the debatable benefits of
his polices, the American president has suddenly visited
Iraq with the chief of the general staff. This happened
after his administration's refusal of the
recommendations of Beaker-Hamilton committee which
called for decreasing the numbers of American forces in
Iraq and changing their role into training and
qualifying the Iraqi forces, making negotiations with
Iran and the regional neighboring countries of Iraq, and
holding international conferences to resolve the crises
of Iraq and the whole area. Such visit to Al Anbar
governorate followed the disbandment of his
international alliances and the decision of Britain's
withdrawal of its forces from Al-Basra and keeping their
role with the bounds of training the Iraqi forces as a
political means of pressure on the Congress in order to
continue in financing the American forces in Iraq and to
stop pressures on the American administration to make a
schedule for the withdrawal from Iraq and the
administration will indeed command few thousands of
forces to return home before the end of this year.
The democratic senator, Joseph Biden,
viewed that it is imperative for the ones who make
Bush's policy to make a plan for the withdrawal of
American farces from Iraq, group after group, before the
Christmas, consequently 100 thousands soldiers would
remain secured in Iraq in their bases by the
presidential election. On the other hand, Washington
Post stated that the White House has decided to
proceed with the strategy that started in January till
the next spring, will never surrender to the pressures
of democratic, and will add $50 billions to the $460
billions which was asked by the administration in the
defense budget of 2008 and to the $147 billion for
financing the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
The comptrollers' office,
investigation institution ancillary to the Congress, has
revealed a report regarding the achieved goals in Iraq
since the invasion; afterwards
Washington Post
leaked part of such report to the public stating that
three positive goals out of eighteen ones, determined by
Washington, have been achieved in Iraq. Actually this
report is in complete contrast with another more
positive one which was issued by the White House last
month in which it stated that eight goals have been
achieved in Iraq. In the same manner, there was the
report of Petrious and Krocker on which the White House
depended, but the report added nothing. The first
recommended to decrease the number of American forces in
Iraq to 30 thousand soldiers till next year's summer;
this is due to the successes, as he described, achieved
by his country and the improvement of the security
situation in Iraq. The second, namely the ambassador
Krocker said nothing but accusing Syria and Iran of the
lack of help to prevent the militias' entrance into
Iraq.
After a field visit in Iraq, a
researcher in the center of strategic international
polices viewed that the United States will in no way
leave Iraq before ten years at least, adding that the
probability of the success is fifty percentage whatever
it does and it will be encountered by continuous
dangers, military difficulties, and strategic,
political, and moral challenges regardless its choices.
Ricardo Sanchez, the leader of coalition force in Iraq
in 2003 who retired after Abu
GHRAIB
scandal, has severely
criticized both the political and military American
leadership in Iraq believing that their polices led the
United States to live in "endless nightmare" and indeed
there is "a desperate attempt from an administration
that do not accept the political and economic facts of
this war".
The American president went to the
ends of earth in order to paralyze the resistance
against occupation and to drag the feet of Iraqi sides
to play the American game aiming at transferring the
conflicts among the Iraqi sides. Indeed, he is still
persistent that war in Iraq is the front-line of war
against terrorism and Al Qaeda troops. Moreover, he
considered that the Iranian danger is in no way less
than the terrorism of Al Qaeda on America, the American
forces, and the area and the world. Despite the collapse
of important characters in his administration and the
beginning of its life countdown, it has already stated
since last November in the last American elections, the
political method of his administration regarding certain
issues has not yet changed. On the other hand, the
American Intelligence has issued a report about the
violence level in Iraq that is still high and the Iraqi
politicians who are unable to rule effectively which
justifies the existence of America in this country for
along time or resolving the Iranian problem before
withdrawal, if the withdrawal might happen.
Three democratic candidates for next
year's presidential election in the United States
refused to obligate themselves with the withdrawal of
the American forces from Iraq by the end of the
following presidential period in 2013. Actually when
they speak about withdrawal, they do so only for the
sake of internal election and to criticize the policy of
republicans and the current administration.
Not long ago, the American Senate
adopted unbinding decision, which was inspired by the
Deaton agreement regarding Bosnia that calls for
establishing federal units on ethnic and sectarian basis
in Iraq; such country, which was consisting of three
administrative entities that consequently was canceled
by Sykes-Picot
agreement in order to establish the
central country. The decision urges the reconciliation
between the main elements of Iraq, allowing the
establishment of federal areas
along with the united Iraq, and the equal distribution
of oil wealth among Iraqis to help fix the federal
system. This decision might be binding to the American
administration because it is a preparation for the form
of policy that the United States endeavors to apply in
Iraq in the near future. On the other hand, the former
leader of American central stated that leadership,
Anthony Zinni,
in his study regarding the future of Iraq, stated that
despite the fact that Iraq is "a made country
with modeled in regions" in the
outset of the twentieth century, the partitioned country
into Sunnites, Shiites, and Kurds will avail nothing.
The Iraqi president, Jalal Talibani,
who expected that the United States would withdraw 100
thousand American soldiers in Iraq by the end of 2008
and in more rapid manner than the publicly expressed by
the military leaders, has suggested the staying of three
American military bases in the north, south, and middle
of Iraq. Justifying that he added: "for training the
Iraqi forces, stability of Iraq, and to forbid the
neighboring countries from interference in our own
affairs".
Recently, hundreds of Iraqis who
cooperated with the occupation forces against their
fellow citizens were forced out. Besides, there are many
rumors about the dedication of some politicians, who
returned to Iraq with the occupation forces in 2003, to
buy houses in London and prepare to great projects after
leaving Iraq. A senior American official has stated that
her country will accept the requests of migration made
by Iraqis who helped the American forces in Iraq. This
resulted of the criticism of Congress that the
assimilated number of them into the American society is
so little since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The total
number of them is seven thousands including Iraqi
translators whose life is threatened by the resistance,
which considered them as disloyal to their country
because they worked with the American forces. On the
other hand, Denmark has secretly transferred 200 Iraqis
on 22 July 2007 with their families because they
cooperated with its forces. Consequently, 500 Danish
solider were withdrawn from Iraq.
Prof, Khir Ad-Deen Hasib believes
that the current political process in Iraq has come to
grieve; most of ministers cannot go to their offices,
half of them have retired, and the government is unable
to undertake its basic responsibilities regarding
providing safety. This happens despite the wide military
operations executed by the American forces and the
deployment of additional 30 thousand soldiers since last
February. The same idea is applicable on the necessary
services, for example, electricity in Baghdad is not
provided for more than two hours along the day and
sometimes it might be off for several days, water is
mostly impure which resulted in the spreading of
cholera, and with regard to the committee entitled to
amend the constitution, they have not fulfilled their
mission yet, the parliamentary has not discussed the
constitutional amendments though the appointed time has
elapsed, the referendum is still paralyzed, besides all
the coalition, which supports the government, has
started to disband after the withdrawal of "Al Fadhila"
party and "the Sadre Current" which were included in
"Ad-Da`awa" party by the Islamic highest council,
moreover, America is unable to form a government from
such mixture.
Nevertheless, as for the American
forces which are responsible for providing security, the
killed soldiers among them till 17/9/2007 are (3773),
injured soldiers are nearly (28000) and half of them are
unable to return to work because of the deformations,
burns, amputation, madness, and other reasons. Such
forces are unable to train enough Iraqi forces in order
that the latter takes their place and because they can
in no way work alone, their number has decreased besides
the lack of armament
Many sides bet that the national
resistance will frustrate of the American project
despite the natural differences between the factions of
resistance caused by political, intellectual, tribal,
party factors, and the relationships with supporting
sides, which are different in goals of support and its
forms. Also due to the recent kinds of cooperation
between the occupation forces and some factions, with
what the so-called the leaders of kindred, and with the
councils of deliverance for the preparations to decrease
the numbers of these forces in the near future. Others
believe that Americans has realized their fault when
they bet that the Shiite forces will avail them to
achieve their goals and so that they rejected the
Sunnites, so they wanted to reconsider the law of
implanting the Bath party, the formation of army,
and the security systems to compensate the victims in Al
Anbar district, to free some detainees, and attract some
of the Sunnah to side them against the Iranian.
Such matter is so dangerous for all
that the American forces endeavor diligently to
partition the country into two rival competing sides and
they will avail from them both on the expenses of unity
and independence of Iraq. However, due to the complete
awareness of factions about the real facts and their
precise determination, six main Iraqi factions have
agreed unanimously upon establishing the political
council of Iraqi resistance and calling to emancipate
Iraq from the foreign influence in order to achieve the
perfect independence. The council includes Reform and
Jihad front, which covers four factions: the Islamic
Army, the Army of mujahedin, and the Army of Conquerors,
the legal organization of ansarus-Sunnah (Sunnah
Advocates), besides Iraq Hamas Movement, and the Islamic
Front for the Iraqi resistance.
On the other hand, under the
preparations for the near future, Prof. Boll Robert, an
economist in Regan administration, warned his fellow
citizens through written article on the internet against
new September11, due to the plans of Bush and Chini in
order to broaden the powers of the president and to wage
war against Iran to get rid for the problem of the
American defeat in Iraq. Regarding this issue, William
Greag wrote that the Republicans hope for another
terrorist attack on their country in order not to lose
the coming elections. Moreover, there are many campaigns
to increase the level of fear of terrorist attacks which
may be fabricated by this administration or to let
happen without resistance, consequently its war will be
intensified against Islam and the governments which do
not help it, will help it to control the wealth of oil,
and will help Israel to attach its neighboring countries
or defeating their resistance. On the other hand, the
big companies prepare the public opinion to this through
the mass media as usually happens.
On the other hand, as a result of the
failure of the American administration's plans in Iraq
exclusively, it has decided to decrease its dependence
on the Middle East oil and diminishing the exhaustion of
gas by 20 % during the following ten years through
depending on Ethanol and other alternatives that form
11% from the total exhaustion of America of oil. For
this reason, many farms in that country have changed
into constructions for vital or biological fuel
production which is considered combustible oils
extracted from the natural plants such as corn oil,
cotton seeds, or which are produced by the processing of
natural juices especially alcohol produced through the
fermentation of natural sugary juices such as sugarcane;
consequently the prices of canned foods have been highly
increased.
Omar Naguib mentioned that the percentage of farms,
which changed into such constructions in 2006, has
increased by 48% besides the increase of profits
springing from the decrease of taxes on the production
of vital fuel. Indeed, this will create direct
reflections on the alimental resources, whether for man
or animal, the drop of the world stored grains, and the
rising of grains prices to 100%, consequently the
aliment of the world will be decreased. Such matter
motivated international organizations and institutions
to warn the world against the wide use of vital fuel.
John Zelger, the special reporter concerned with right
of food in the United Nations, has warned against the
use of
sugarcane and corn to produce the vital fuel because
this may lead to death of thousand of persons worldwide
because of hunger.
For these reasons all, the inhabitants of this district
daily find themselves treading in a way that will
escalate the wars among nations and reaching a blocked
way instead of reconsidering the polices, plans, and
antiques even for the sake of the Republican party not
for the sake of the national American benefits or the
benefits of other counties in the region. Unfortunately,
this deteriorating situation continues to grow and
aggravate while the effective Arab role is absent;
rather the Arabs are different, disassociated, and
self-destructed; the situation that threatens the whole
area.
Coercive
displacement:
One of the results of occupying Iraq
in 2003 was the Coercive displacement that continues
until now. Every month, about 50, 000 Iraqi seek refuge
in other countries. In the same time, more than this
number immigrated to Iraq and this was the first
displacement process from Al Qa'em, Fallujah, and Ramadi.
They took thousands to empty schools, destroyed places,
desert and other places inside the country within a
demographic reconstruction plan.
This eviction and displacement, the
largest coercive migration since the Second World War,
according to the United Nation Commissioner for
Refugees. Many of those to whom we talked considered
these actions a contingent result of destruction and
murder. Some of them consider the actions a part of the
American occupation or the Iranian conception of Iraq
after the American occupation. Some of the citizens who
were victims of the economic siege as well as the
occupation, before they were obliged to leave their
homeland, stated that the main aim is to partition Iraq
into sectarian mini-states starting with dismantling the
army as well as the service, economic, and cultural
institutions of the country, plundering and destroying
it, besieging cities and villages, excessive usage of
power against civilians as well as collective arrests.
They also use the most severe ways of torture and launch
death troops as well as black water to complete what the
regular armies do, to entrust authority to sectarian
parties, endeavor to impose the constitution, division
as well as federalism by force. This opinion was adopted
by many Foreign Research Centers. It is not strange that
George Tenet wrote in his memoirs "In the Heart of
the Storm", published in the summer of 2007: "in a
short time, we as well as the Iraqis realized that the
aim of the American occupation is to reform the Iraqi
society".
Reforming the Iraqi society is not
only demographical, but also an economic, agricultural,
administrative and legal reformation as the mechanism is
in the hands of the occupier and sedition circulator. We
do not forget that the resolution 81of Primer stops the
Iraqi stereotyped agriculture, monopolies the
distribution of seeds and stops the laboratories, As
well as afflicting agriculture with chemical pollutants,
ceasing production and desertification. We all know that
this was proceeded by a comprehensive besiege, which is
considered as a genocide crime that did not happen
before. The resolution also banned aviation in the north
and south of Iraq under the pretext of protecting the
Shiites and Kurds in 1991 and 1992. This was only a plan
to dismantle Iraq and displacing its people as well as
changing its population form. However, the occupation
increased the way of coercive displacement and it seems
that they plan to settle the refugees in their refuges.
Therefore, some believe that the
International Organizations overlook the Refugees. There
are some complaints that in many cases the Refugee was
asked about his religious sect to attract the Sunnis
toward Jordan. They discuss a plan to merge the west of
Iraq with the Palestinian east of Jordan. As for the
displacement of the Christians, they are attracted
toward Syria and Lebanon. Some believe that the Kurds
have a role in this. Other wonder, since what was there
a social conflict on sectarian grounds? Did not the
previous regime treat the Sunni Rafidis like the
Shiites? There was a sectarian intermarry, but the
Shi`ism and Sunnism should be turned into cultures and
the social and class struggle should be turned to serve
market economy. The occupation divided people as well as
the NGOs into either a supporter of occupation or an
opponent. It is more useful to call those who left their
houses as fugitives and not refugees to differentiate
between them and the Palestinian refugees who struggle
to be given the right to return to their country.
Dr. Abdul Wahid Al Gassani says:
"although the Iraqi coercive displacement is considered
a war crime, genocide crime, a crime against humanity
and a part of aggression according to the International
agreements, the case did not draw the attentions of the
international community, its institutions or the Arab
countries as well as the institutions of the Arab common
work, in spite of its serious threat upon peace and
national international security. The Arab League did not
discuss the threat of the Iraqis coercive displacement
and replacing them with Iranians on the Iraqi identity
and the Arab national security. As for UN Organizations
(UNICEF, World Food Program, UN Commissioner for Human
Rights, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
International Immigration Organization, UNESCO and
others) did not think about preparing an inclusive aid
program that is suitable for the problem. The Red Cross,
which the International community commissioned with
applying the International Human Law and watching
countries commitment to it, did not work actively to
discover the dimensions of this crime to stop it
immediately and order to send the displaced people to
their homes immediately. The material dimensions of the
crime are known and its cause is the American
occupation, Iran and all those who participated with the
occupation or encouraged the American-Iranian occupation
of Iraq. This crime does not abated by time. The
question is: what shall we (the Iraqis) do to create a
public opinion that puts the countries as well as the
international Organizations before their legal and
ethical responsibility to cease these crimes and return
the displaced people back to their houses and
compensating them. On the other hand, to refer the
criminals to the international criminal courts?"
During this year of tragedy, there
was an important group of those who have qualifications
that are more than any other Arab country (54
Universities in Iraq while there are four Universities
in Syria. They fled from Iraq lest they die in their
country. Some claim that 800 person of Mossad to
dissolute the academic people or to displace them by
force. This causes a crisis for many of them and the
psychological crisis is not the little. Great potentials
may be lost through unemployment or other works that are
not suitable for their potentials. In addition, the
money that was spent on their education gets lost
without being invested as they are prevented from work
and live without a sustaining salary. We saw some of
them who kept their tears in their eyes and refused
begging or talking about the current situation. They
have no legal residence, passports, pension or required
care of their country. They have no right to work. In
Jordan, as some Iraqis claim, some of its CIA preferred
to stay in Syria, although At-Talibani demanded to exert
pressure on them to take them out of Syria. However,
where will they go, while they cannot be granted Visa
when they are invited to conferences in Egypt, Lebanon
or Jordan.
As for the United States, that
appropriated hundreds of billions to cover the
expenditures of its war against Iraq, did not find what
to do with the Iraqis who fled from their country to
save their souls, dignity and honor from the assault of
the American army and the mercenaries as well as the
ugliness of the new regime's militias.
But if this arrogant force entered
Iraq to carry out its schemes, what is the matter with
the United Nations that was involved officially in the
first Gulf war and the unjust besiege of Iraq for 13
years as well as using the prohibited weapons and the
environmental pollution, deformation as diseases caused
by these weapons and affected generations of the Iraqis,
their children and those who did not delivered yet. This
international organization that accuse its officials of
corruption and squandering the money of the Iraqis,
continue to turn itself away from the requirements of
those people inside Iraq and outside it.
UN Organizations like UNICEF, United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and World Health
Organization behave in a bureaucratic way that is far
away from transparency by allocating little funds that
do not exceed millions of dollars. These allocations are
nothing if compared to the gains of those who smuggle
the Iraqi crude oil. Some Iraqi refugees claim that
everyday 500,000 oil barrel are stolen and are smuggled
to Iran for the quarter of its price, in addition to
what the Americans steal (three million barrel
everyday). These allocations are less than the cost of
hours of the expenditure of the American forces (which
some say that it will not withdraw from Iraq, but it
will stay in specific military bases). What about those
refugees that in their name donating campaign are
launched, how can they life like this while knowing that
there is a well east of Basra, which is sufficient to
cover the Iraqi budget for 33 years even if they sold
the barrel for $50? Is it there fault that they
preferred to flee from their country than to die
generally, either in genocide, kidnapping and torturing
in Abu Gharib prison, or the prisons of the Interior
Ministry or hidden prisons that did not discovered yet?
Of course there are some of those who
preferred to stay in their country and sacrifice with
their souls and they are those who will determine its
future. Nevertheless, should we consider those who fled
to save their souls as treacherous? Should he cooperate
with the occupation forces to satisfy the current Iraqi
leaders? Anyway, the main reason for the situation of
those refugees is not only the occupation, but also
those who helped and supported the occupation. We should
take legal actions against those people and compel them
to pay compensations that are not only financial, but
also moral compensations for the victims in return of
this grievous stage of their life. The crime that was
committed against the Iraqi people still a crime even if
all the international influences colluded to justify it,
eventually, a suit would be brought in the name of those
who were harmed to compensate their honor and their
right to live as the humans who live under the entity of
homelands.
Palestinians of
Iraq:
The Palestinians are the most
subjected people of the inhabitants of Iraq to be
tortured, especially after the collapse of the previous
regime. There were charged with supporting the ousted
president, Saddam Hussein, and they were granted
preference in his time. In addition, many of them belong
to the Arab Sunnis. Consequently, they are suspected to
support some revolt Sunnis who oppose the government.
Since the first two months of occupation in 2003, the
Arab Committee for Human Rights alarmed against their
situation in a field report issued in different
languages and was adopted by the most important
international institutions as a reference.
There were 30 thousands of
Palestinians in Iraq before the Anglo-American invasion
in March 2003 and indeed they were recorded by the
commissariat of refugees. Actually, their true number
was more than this number but it started to decrease
since they became a target to the militias and since
they have been persecuted. The commissariat believes
that Iraqis are subject to danger because they are
chased off, kidnapped, tortured, and sometimes killed
while the Iraqi government and the foreign forces take
no action to protect them. Indeed, from 200 too 300
persons were killed and their corpses were found whether
in morgues or dunghills; the corpses frequently are
disfigured and carried the impacts of torture. Moreover,
many Iraqis were forced out after they had received
threats of murders; some of them hid themselves in Iraq
and some others escaped and lived out borders in gross
cruel circumstances; they live in camps that were
established in the desert between Syria and Jordan and
face many difficulties to enter into Syria or Jordan or
to be settled in any other countries. During three years
ago, the United Nations could not close Ar-Rouishid
camp, was established among other camps in the Jordan
desert and contains nearly one thousand persons, because
they failed in finding a country to receive its
inhabitants.
The commissariat of refugees assesses
the number of Palestinians who live in tragic condition
inside camps along the borders between Syria and Iraq at
1400 persons. The number of refugees in Al Walid camp,
one of the camps established on the Syrian borders, has
increased sevenfold during five months along with the
attacks that targeted the Palestinians in Baghdad. On
the other hand, fire was broken out in At Tanaf camp,
contains 341 Palestinian families, because of the
explosion of a gas pipe inside a tent. Consequently,
eleven Palestinian families were harmed by such fire
which destroyed 33 tents. The number of injured people
reached 41 persons because of the asphyxia, burns, and
scrambling. Afterwards, the refugees sent a call for
help to save the harmed people who lost everything; they
lost the tents, canned foods, the necessities, and now
live in the open.
The official of protection file in
the high commissariat of refugees in the United Nations
has described the situations of the refugees as
dangerous and becomes worse due to the heat of summer
and the cold of winter which particularly affect the
kids badly. Al Walid camp has one doctor who is also a
Palestinian refugee, moreover, the camp lacks the
regular supply of water to the extent that every refugee
obtains 1.50 liter of bottled water every two days and
the camp is far from the nearest hospital in Iraq nearly
four hours by car on a very dangerous road; meanwhile
the commissariat of refugees is not allowed to be
present continuously in such places due to security
reasons.
The official pointed to the
complicated procedures to reach the camp through Syria
and the lack of safety in the Iraqi aspect which hinder
the efforts of relief believing that: "indeed it is a
tragedy when death starts to take the souls of those
people after they manage to escape from Iraq to save
themselves because of simple illnesses that can be
cured". The refugees called the human institutions which
supervise their camps to gather the Palestinian families
in At Tanaf, Al Walid, and Al Houl camps in the Syrian
town Al Hisika. The girl Nidaa', for example, which was
injured in the burn of Al Walid camp; she is treated
alone in one Arab country while her mother in At Tanaf
camp and her father in Al Walid camp.
A year ago, Syria stopped receiving
Palestinian refugees from Iraq after permitting
250
persons to enter and gave the opportunity only for the
pregnant women and sick people in At Tanaf camp to enter
for treatment in its hospitals provided that they would
return to the camp again after fulfilling their
purposes. Syria, which hosts 430 thousand Palestinian
refugees recorded in the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine refugees in the near East, asked
other Arab countries in the area to receive a section of
the Palestinian refugees coming from Iraq. The refugees'
destiny ended to India, Canada, Norway, Malaysia,
Cyprus, and Turkey after both Syria and Jordan had
refused to receive the refugees on borders living in At
Tanaf, Al Walid, and Ar Rouishid camps. Although the
settlement of refugees is very slowly, the Czech
government agreed at last to host one hundred refugees
and Brazil accepted to host 97 persons from Ar Rouishid
camp on the Iraq-Jordan borders. Moreover, while writing
this report we were informed that three Palestinians
families would be transferred from Al Walid desert camp
in order to be settled in Brazil. On the other hand,
Sudan agreed to host the Palestinian refugees on the
Syrian-Iraqi borders without clarifying the nature and
circumstance of the place in which the refugees will
live in.
Two years ago, 500 Palestinian
refugees reached India through Syria and waiting to be
accepted as refugees in other countries. Most of
refugees who suffer alienation and poverty and lack of
knowledge about the language and customs of the Indian
society, feel that the Indian society rejects them
especially they live in Hindus districts who do not eat
meat nor communicate with foreigners. Bus as for the
reason for their coming to India, one of them said that
a Kurd Iraqi contrabandist promised to deliver them to
New Zealand in return for $7000 for each person. The
contrabandist undertook preparing phony Iraq passport
and other papers. Nevertheless, as soon as they reached
India, he took the rest of money they agreed upon under
the pretext of providing them passports from the embassy
of New Zealand and vanished leaving them in unknown
places and lands in which they know none. After they
were recorded as refugees in the United Nation Office,
they received pensions which do not satisfy the simplest
necessities of life; 2245 Rupees ($56) for the
paterfamilias and 750 Rupees ($18.75) for every
individual. However, as for the Palestine embassy in
India, it never contacts with them nor gives aids for
them, as they said, and if they tried to contact with
it, it sends them to the United Nation Office and
sometimes mocks at them if they persist in their
requests.
-
Iraqis in the neighboring countries:
Before tackling the situation of the
Iraqi refugees in Syria, we will briefly discuss their
situation in Jordan, where there is a significant class
of the rich Iraqis with high financial capabilities, (at
least 100,000 Iraqis either merchants or influenced
people, according to Iraqi sources) if compared to those
in Syria. Three years ago, the Jordanian government
commissioned a Norwegian institution to estimate the
number of the Iraqi refugees in Jordan. The institution
estimated the number at 250,000 Iraqi refugees.
Nevertheless, it is heard that there are more than
700,000 Iraqi refugees in that country. The Iraqis had
to put from $20,000 to $70,000 in the bank to be granted
residence in Jordan. Moreover, sometimes he would be
granted the Jordanian nationality by paying an amount of
money, especially in the first year of the Iraqi war.
This residence is to be renewed yearly, but the
Jordanian authorities recently prevented the Iraqis from
entering into Jordan claiming that there is no enough
place for more refugees.
Today, the Iraqis should have an
entrance Visa for Jordan. If he stayed after the
expiration date of his Visa, one will be fined two US
dollars for every day after the expiration of his Visa.
There are many restrictions on accepting the Iraqi child
in the public schools in Jordan. After the conference of
the Iraqis hosting countries held on the 26th
of last July in Amman, the Jordanian authorities agreed
to accept the Iraqi students in public schools for the
new academic year without residence visa. In this
conference, the Jordanian government received $250,
000000 as an aid for the Iraqi refugees. It's also said
that Jordan receives one billion dollars every year as
aids, while education and health care are not free.
Today they discuss the potential of lifting violations
and limiting residence period to be for six months only.
Some people claim that the Iraqis are
asked about the sect one belongs to on the borders. Some
gulf states toughly treat the Iraqis, while they should
aid them. A former Saudi diplomat stated: "They do not
want to vex the United States". On the other hand, many
Iraqis have lived in Iran for 30 years and do not have
any passports. In Yemen, where the Iraqis do not exceed
60,000 people, the entrance Visa became necessary.
However, the restrictions there are not severe and they
are treated properly. Seeking an academic work is easy
as the job opportunities are being covered by non-Yemeni
people. The residence related to labor contracts is to
be renewed yearly. Nevertheless, there are some security
measurements lest the Iraqi pattern be repeated. Out and
out, the western countries, as Europe granted asylum to
the elite only. The United States stated that it would
accept 7000 Iraqi refugees, mostly of those who worked
with it. As for Canada, it stipulates that the Iraqi
should have $100,000 as well as a University Certificate
to be granted the Canadian nationality. On the other
hand, Australia prefers the middle-aged refugees to
populate it. And so on.
The Iraqis in
Syria:
Refuge of the Iraqis to Syria was in
groups and included many waves. The first one was at the
end of the eighties. It included 100,000 people, who
formed a political bloc of communists, nationalists,
democrats and those who oppose the regime of Saddam
Hussein. They soon left to other countries seeking
refuge. After the Iraqi-Iranian war, another wave
reached its apex in 1991. It consisted of some soldiers
who fled from north of Iraq to Syria. Like the first
wave, there were no tensions between them and the
hosting community. They soon found refuge in other
countries. The third wave came to Syria during the
economic blockade imposed upon Iraq. They searched for
job opportunities; some of them returned to Iraq, others
found an outlet to travel outside Syria. The fourth wave
was the biggest one for including between one million
and half to one million and eighty thousand who still
live in Syria, including those who came to Syria in
summer to visit their families. (Some unofficially
stated that the number of the Iraqis in Syria is two
millions, stating that those who are not recorded at the
Migration and Passports Authority entered Syria through
paying bribes). This migration included a sectarian
variety in contrary to that in the eighties, when
migration included the Shiites only. Some fear that a
fifth wave may happen soon, after the partitioning that
we see its indications. This depends on the ability of
the resistance to frustrate the American schemes, in
spite of the American stubbornness to achieve their
American objectives behind the occupation of Iraq.
This fourth wave included a main
group of the threatened and wanted people who are not in
a bad need for aid; they are former politicians,
leaders, officers and previous security bodies. In
addition, there are some threatened academicians, and
specialists. The second group is from the non-threatened
as well as rich people, and merchants, who were
blackmailed, therefore, transferred their money. Half of
this group may be in need for treatment. The medical
institutions in Iraq are turned into security
headquarters for the militias because of the security
situation. Therefore, people had to seek safety outside
their country. The third group includes those who are
threatened due to sectarianism or racial extermination,
and junior employers who belong to the Bath
Party.
As for the rich people (about 10%)
who brought much money with them and invested it in
buying real estates, commercial projects, and houses (in
Al-Asad villages only, there are more that two thousand
villas), there are others who are in need for help by
any means. Others sold their properties- against their
will- before they flee from their country. Flight in
these conditions does not allow the person to make use
of his properties, as it is not easy to sell the
apartment when it is plundered and it is difficult to
take money with you when thieves steal your car and your
house. Some of them return to Iraq after spending their
savings and did not find any way to meet the necessities
as he is deprived of work in the hosting country and is
deprived of his salary and pension in original country,
or because the education of his children is not insured
for all academic years. Others are not able to live in
Syria or to return to Iraq, so they do their best to be
granted asylum in a western country that guarantees
their minimum living and this is called settlement.
However, settlement is not granted except for few people
who consider themselves to be lucky (Christians are the
most to be granted settlement), or for those who helped
the occupation forces as they do not submit to the
strict measures of asylum. Many of those people live in
As-Sayeda Zainab, Gudaidat `Artouz, Gurmanah, Al Yarmouk
Camp, and At-Tall. Many of them move to other
governorates because of over population and high prices
in the Capital. All those people are in need for help
and aid, while Humanitarian Organizations are not
allowed to help them. In the district of As-Sayeda
Zainab, there are many aspects of misery; some people
claim that this district includes the poorest and most
ignorant people. You may find many families sharing the
same apartment and eating one meal per day, or many men
living in the same room to share its rent, they left
their families to search for a means of living. Though
some of them were prominent, they accepted to do hard
works like being porters. They have experienced life of
humiliation after they were honored even if the person
was living with brother or his relative. An Iraqi
stated: "When visiting the streets near the shrine, the
person feel as if he is in Baghdad in the district of `Allawwi
Al-Hullah, or the Sacred Kathemiah, as the markets there
are similar to these Baghdadi areas. The massive number
of the Iraqis in this area affected the names of shops
and restaurants and the Iraqi food as well, even the
street that is 50 meters from the Shrine was called "The
Iraqis Street". It is strange that many types of Iraqi
fish are specially brought from Iraq to the Iraqis
Street. They chose this place because of its environment
that is like that of Iraq and this may alleviate their
feeling of separation from their homeland and their
people.
Damascus is not only a safe haven for
the Iraqis who fled from the flames of war in their
country; it also became, especially in this summer, a
meeting place for the families that separated from each
other for years because of migration to remote
countries. You can hear many details about life in Iraq
that the newspapers and channels do not mention, through
visiting the coffee shops and public parks where the
Iraqis meet each other to feel warmth and discuss the
current situation of their country.
As for Iraqi children's education,
there is a hope that about 75,000 Iraqi children would
enter school this year, given that Syria does not apply
the obligatory education. The main problem lies in the
academic education because of limiting the accepting of
students to specific specializations. In addition, there
is a special system to be applied to Arab new comers and
the foreigners who come to its institutes. In addition,
there are large sums of money that must be paid for the
university beside other requirements, as the faculty of
Medicine requires $6000 and the faculty of Engineering
requires $5000, and so on. Despite paying the expenses
of Evaluation, It delays the student for an academic
year. Besides, in the Syrian universities students study
in Arabic, while in Iraq they study in English. Despite
the facilities of the National Leadership of the Bath
ruling Party, the seats still limited; and Charity
begins at home! In addition, the private education
is very difficult for the refugee who does not have a
permanent salary. Some rich Arab countries were appealed
to construct Universities, as an investment, but
Lifeless are them whom you call upon! Some Syrian or
Iraqi investors have interest in this. At the same time,
the Arab League should do anything, as it is responsible
for not leaving ignorance to spread among the Iraqi
people.
On the other hand, as the occupation
forces resulted in thieves and plunder gangsters as well
as organized Mafias to kidnap children and women. It
also resulted in Slave trade. Some activists in a
feminist association stated that the child or the virgin
are being sold for $10,000 and are forcefully traveled
through Kuwait, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus to Gulf
countries. One night after, the girl is taken
unwillingly to the white-slaves market. We are unable to
watch these cases or notify about them as there is a
center supposed to be there to take care of them.
Therefore, there are some endeavors to work with the
Syrian Feminists Union, for the legitimacy of NGOs is
absent.
Of course, there must be prostitution
rings in Syria to exploit Iraqi women, especially that
there is a massive number of them who have no financial
resources or provider. Necessity is not only the mother
of invention but also the mother of degradation.
However, we are not sure whether it is a phenomenon, as
we tried to investigate about it, but we found that the
Iraqi women who work in prostitution rings in Syria are
small to be considered in a massive number of the Iraqis
that include all social groups. However, in every
community some people are obliged to commit crimes or
practice prostitution because of special circumstances.
We are not sure whether there are prostitution rings
like other countries, but we should prosecute those who
trade in white slaves or compel women, sometimes out of
their will, to work in the market of money laundering,
drug smuggling, and human smuggling.
We also drew attention to the fact
that discussing this subject may be thorny, not because
of honor and disgrace, but because when we talk about
temporary marriage and differentiating between what is a
true marriage and what is not more than selling the
body. The results of wars, firstly reflects on weak
people and analyzing the parental freedom and
strictness. As the occupation confiscates the right of
life, it also confiscates the right of freedom and honor
when woman is classified as a prostitute and not a
human. The absence of political and economic stability
causes extremism whether through excessive freedom or
strictness or through coercive imposing of Hijab (Headscarf),
or selling her body to live and save herself from death;
consequently this would lead it to a situation in which
she will not be able to stipulate.
Economic aspect:
Statistics indicate that Syria was in
need for ten years to reach this number of population
(1.5 million to two millions in a short time). Normally,
through birth, population has corresponding arrangements
such as residence, education opportunities, medical
treatment, and work. However, such unexpected and rapid
increasing requires following wise policies that go
along with this increase without people being burdened
its complications. The current situation raises many
worries about the future, especially with the absence of
sufficient international aids.
This migration has its negative and
positive aspects. While the consumer benefited from
dropping of vehicles prices because of the increase of
demands. A Syrian governmental research pointed out that
the Iraqis helped increase the prices of Real Estates
and rents to more than 20%, and the increase of the
prices of essential commodities as well. The consumption
of electricity increased by 16%, and there was a
rationing in the consumption of electricity and water in
Syria for months in a very hot summer.
The Syrian people complain about the
increase of electricity prices that led to high prices
in all the electrically produced commodities. There was
an argument among the government about raising the
prices of petroleum derivatives and it was postponed
until passing the increase of electricity prices. The
Iraqis are not the only ones to be responsible for this
raising, as they are victims; victim of the greedy
capitalists who have benefited from the gulf request of
petroleum derivatives and deprived Lebanon of a part of
this summer's share. He is a victim of the policy of the
government that is led by the Democratic Arab Socialist
Union party in Syria and other opposition parties that
are responsible for the economic decline. The party
considered that the Syrian economic policies drew the
attention of the Iraqi refugees who escaped the
seditions and persecution in their home and tried to
burden them a part of the responsibility and to
commercialize their cause both in national and
international arenas. In the same time, many of the
refugees still spend the money they brought with them or
took from their relatives, while disregarding the
dependence of the Syrian economy for many years on the
Iraqi petroleum taken free or for nominal prices. This
led to saving much money for the Syrian budget.
The International Monetary Fund
estimated the costs of the Iraqi refugees on the Syrian
Economy to be about $1.3 billion (3.7% of the total
national production), while Syria estimates this to be
$1.6 billion. The governmental support for essential
commodities cost the country $340 million, in addition
to the costs of sanitary support, free education, and
water. Some claim that Al-Maliki offered free food
provisions for the Iraqi refugees in Syria, but the
Syrian government did not accept it as it suggested
receiving aids in the form of petroleum derivatives.
Both sides did not reach an agreement and decided to
form a committee to discuss the suggestions relating to
aids. An Iraqi diplomat described the Syrian request of
support from Baghdad as "extortion". The consultant of
the Iraqi Prime Minister announced that his country
would not provide Syria with crude oil for a price
lesser than that of the international market because its
support for the Iraqi refugees there, stating that the
discussions were about forming specialized bilateral
committees concerning education and health affairs as
well as other affairs.
However, we cannot deny the positive
aspects of the migration of the Iraqis on the Economic
level. Investing two billion dollars in the economic
ways raised the Syrian National Income turning Syria to
a tourist country that makes use of hard currency,
unlike Jordon, Syria does not stipulates depositing
$20,000 in the bank to accept residence.
The advantage is not only the effect
of what the Iraqi refugees spent on the Syrian economy;
but also their existence in Syria is a political balance
and a trump card in the political discussions that
sometimes exploit slips of his opponent by a severe
pragmatism (this trump card is not only used by one of
them, but by both). There is also a benefit out of the
aids that Syria requested from the International
Community, and deserves it to face the misfortunate
situation of a large number of the Iraqi refugees there.
However, these monies are still forbidden to this
country because of some political reasons to pressure
this country, which opposes the American policies in the
area and to stir problems through the refugees there.
However, the Iraqi authority should guarantee the
sufficient provision to its homeless people and respond
to their needs. If corruption, bribery and plunder of
the Iraqi wealth by the occupation and its supporters;
what should be paid to the homeless Iraqis is a little
bit of the Iraqi wealth.
Fantasy and
reality
Actually, there is an ambience that
we felt through the reality and through the speech we
heard from some people; most of them were from a middle
social and cultural class. We can depict the mainstream
of Iraq that it is like all images one forms for "the
other" confining his rich character to some superficial
features that are mostly folkloric and negative. This
happens despite the striking similarity between two
neighboring nations with one language, culture, and
heritage. However, this is the relationship between "the
self" and "the other" regardless who "the other" is.
Therefore, the Iraqi character seems to be different
from the Syrian one; it is "rough, boorish, and that
they do not behave as refugees in a hosting country with
open warm arms and willingly bore their burdens". No
doubt, this depiction has some false accusations and
exaggeration.
The Iraqis are also shown as "having
a purchasing power that is greater than the Syrian
citizen that enables him to buy canned foods and pay
rents for rich residence to the extent that he shares
the Syrian with his residency and life". Actually, this
image is not identical with the fact that there is great
deal of poor Iraqi refugees who live on the aids of
their families, subsides, or savings. Perhaps their
modesty and sufferings may be the real reasons for their
real conditions. Uneasiness was clear on the faces of
the people who spoke to us as if they blame such
refugees who increased their crises, though there is a
wide Syrian class who benefited from the existence of
the rich Iraqi refugees, besides many groups of people
resorted to live in steady residential blocks that are
mostly residential areas for the people whose incomes
are moderate or limited.
Such conditions motivated some
natives to refuse, perhaps unconsciously, the new comers
who lived in some districts named of Iraqi towns.
Indeed, such natives have not realized that the coming
of Iraqi refugees was the factor that exposed the
service and economic crises in Syria. Nevertheless, we
can say that there is no hostility and the matter is
limited to action and reaction. Moreover, in such
conditions it is easy to cast the responsibility of
problems on the other; such other who is in lower rank
because of the lack of belongingness though bearing the
nationality along with the unstable economic and social
condition.
On the other hand, the majority
Iraqis we met expressed their gratitude to the Syrian
authorities that hospitably hosted them in contrary to
what happens in many Arab countries that treated the
Iraqis as criminals while on borders! The Iraqis praised
the Syrian people, who opened their hearts and homes for
them and treated them with warm morals and solidarity,
which result in vanishing the natural tension in such
situations. Others feel ashamed to meet the Syrian
people for increasing the burdens on them; the salaries
are the same while the prices became higher. Nothing is
left but some wishes and hopes regarding the treatment
of authorities towards them. The criticism was poured on
their authorities, occupation, and agents.
The legal situation
The residence firstly was given for a
week and then for a month, the refugee is asked to go
outside the borders and then come back, consequently he
will get a visa allowing him to reside for three months
if he gets a contract for the flat he rented. Residence
is not granted to non-Syrians except: whenever he is
married to a Syrian woman, owns real estate (his name is
not registered in the real estate contract, but the name
of the Syrian partner; this allows him to sue the
partner or to resort to trickery), an investor, or he or
one of his sons being enlisted in a school or
university. The annual temporary residence is renewed
automatically. Apart from this, the refugee lives in
worry and pressures until he gets the residence, however
when he gets it, the residence does not grant him the
right of work. Therefore, they might be outlawed. As for
the small projects, they are established under the name
of a partner Syrian.
The borders suffer from the over-
crowdedness at Al-Walid passage; it includes three
windows for men and two for women, besides the security
clashes and arresting some persons (Once, twelve cars
including the passengers were destroyed during half of
an hour for crossing towards Iraqi side). The passenger
suffers also form the long way; more than 380 km taking
six hours besides the probable accidents and death in
buses during travel. The visa costs twenty thousands
Iraqi dinars (equal to fifteen dollars) besides seven
dollars back and forth, that is to say, the whole cost
is fifty dollars. Indeed, this happens every four
months. The whole family is asked to go outside the
borders because none of them can renew the residence for
his family, moreover, the Iraqi police sometimes resorts
to violence because of crowdedness, scramble, etc. It is
possible to pay bribery and avoid this suffering. If
someone renewed his residence after it is too late, he
is considered to be outlawed and would be punished by
decreasing the period of residence from three months to
two or to be imprisoned and then expelled. Official or
unofficial fines are paid where there is coerce
bloodsucking made by customs and security systems in
order to receive fines and bribery (unlike Jordan where
the employee takes a sufficient salary in order not to
resort to bribery).
In the same manner, he who can pay
one hundred dollars will be able to go to Lebanon where
the borders are safe and residence is renewed by passing
the borders. The transportation company provides him
four days and three nights tour by bus besides providing
dinner and breakfast, twenty dollars to enter Beirut or
Junyah, and twenty dollars for the visa to expend
totally one hundred and forty dollars at least, given
that none can enter Lebanon alone in order not to
escape. Indeed, there were some tries to escape into
Turkey and some persons drown on swimming towards the
Italian-Greek borders. On the other hand, he who wants
to inter into Sweden, he pays from ten to eighteen
thousand dollars for the persons helping him to inter
into the country.
As for the authorized visas, they are
various; the authorized kind of visas nowadays is the
kind (N), but it will expire by the end of the year. The
kind (M) is no longer authorized. In addition, there is
the kind (S) which can be obtained from the embassy in
few days after presenting the photos and documents
regarding the nationality. Nevertheless, it is not
approved by the majority of embassies. Another kind
called (G) which exclusively issued in Iraq. It takes
two months to obtain it, authorized to travel to the
world countries wholly, and valid for eleven years. The
United States and some of European countries admit
nothing but it. If it is necessary, the kind (S) might
be changed to the kind (G) in return for $350 as
bribery. The information is wholly attributed to the
concerned people.
Having fulfilled our mission, we knew
that the Syrian Foreign Ministry ordered its missions
abroad to start in executing the new procedures to let
the Iraqis enter the country starting from 10 September.
Such procedures cancel the previous ones that allow
renewing the residence automatically after the Iraqi
goes out the borders every three months. The new
decision imposed visa on Iraqis and paying $50 for the
Syrian embassy in Baghdad to apply the principle of
equality and to limit the increasing numbers of the
Iraqi comers to Syria. Granting visas is exclusively for
"the owners of economic and commercial organizations,
i.e. the members of the commercial, industrial, and
agricultural chambers by the virtue of a signed
certificate from such chambers". The visas are granted
also for "the scientists who are members in the academic
staff of the Iraqi universities, the high institutes,
and the scientific research centers according to visas
issued by the university or the center". Granting visa
in entitled to the diplomatic Syrian missions and not
the borders points like the past. The new orders make a
condition that "the seeker of visa must have a residence
in the country where the mission is authorized or having
visas from the Iraqi mission".
Such procedures are nothing but an
attempt to stop the entrance of Iraqis into Syria where
the number of the coming persons is 30 thousands
monthly, besides the increasing economic, social, and
security burdens and the increasing rate of crimes in
the country, as stated by the foreign minister, and the
global society has not fulfilled its duties and the
Iraqi government refused to help the refugees. The
existing refugees should be "organized" by not allowing
the ones who are incompatible with the Syrian laws. This
means not "expelling all Iraqis", though their security
situation is pressing and uncontrollable. Moreover, the
Syrian government decided to add some amendments to this
decision, which allow "the students in Syria to obtain
the visas by the virtue of visa".
With regard to this issue, the chief
of Iraqi Agreement Front issued a request to the Syrian
foreign minister to work seriously on canceling the new
procedures, pointing out the effects on the Iraqi
refugees in Syria due to applying such procedures.
Moreover, Walid Al-Mu`alim promised that the new
procedures will not cover the Iraqis in Syria and we
will take no action to harm them. On the other hand, the
Iraqis in Syria were pervaded by gloomy atmosphere due
to such decision which became their chief concern and
many thousands of them entered rapidly into Syria before
the determined date, and many others went out the
borders and entered again to obtain three months
residence away from the fires of occupation, killing,
and devastation in Iraq".
Unfortunately, this decision has
blocked the last way before the Iraqis who try hard to
save themselves from the security situation in their
country, especially after the neighboring countries
stipulating various restrictions on Iraqis. Indeed,
Damascus and Baghdad has agreed about forming a mutual
committee, headed by the ministers of economy and
commerce in the two countries, to evaluate the situation
of Iraqis in Syria and the costs of their existence on
the Syrian economy in order to compensate the hosting
country. Moreover, some sources said that Nor Al Maliki,
the Iraqi Prime Minister, was informed during his visit
to Damascus in August that Syria will execute the new
procedures in order to stop the refugees entrance, and
he expressed his total consent regarding this decision
and promised to help the Syrian government in
undertaking their burdens. On the other hand, other
source clarified that "some Syrian sides were not
satisfied with the statements of Al Maliki and that he
will do nothing to the refugees, he is not ready to help
his subjects, and the suffering of internal people is
severer than the suffering of the external people; and
supporting them may stimulate other people to emigrate
from Iraq". Nevertheless, Syria asked the Arab countries
to establish an Arab fund to aid the countries that host
Iraqi refugees.
The decision of Syrian government was
not issued arbitrarily; rather it was issued, according
to other sources, following the visit of Nor Al Maliki,
the Iraqi prime minister, who "has not responded to the
Syrian request regarding undertaking the burdens of
Iraqi refugees in Syria". Indeed, he "does not want to
offer help for them in order not to encourage other
Iraqis to emigrate and how he could help the emigrants
and leave those who stay and bear the difficult
situations". Besides, "he has a tacit wish that the
neighboring countries may undertake the security
responsibility in his country". It should be taken into
consideration that Damascus has previously restrained
the procedures of Iraqis entrances into Syria following
the visit of the Iraqi president, Jalal Talibani, in the
beginning of this year and then facilitated the
procedures by granting a visa that valid for one month
provided that the concerned man is asked to go outside
the borders to renew it for three months. This happened
after the beginning of world concern regarding the
refugees' crisis represented in the conference of
granting countries in Geneva in the middle of last April
and holding the special sub- committee of action
regarding the refugees which emanated from the
conference of (Iraq security) in Sharm Al Sheikh.
The high
commissariat of refugees
Naturally, we had a visit to the high
commissariat of refugees, which is considered by
most Iraqis to be unavailing because the United Nations
organizations are controlled by the American
administration so that they have to be silent and deal
with Iraqi issues with apathy in order to conceal the
American project. On the other hand, there are
increasing complains about corruption of its employees,
they never introduce any facilitations, the
distinguishing feature of their work is bureaucracy, and
if the Iraqi refugee went out to Iraq, he became no
longer a refugee. Moreover, the few enlisted numbers of
Iraqis people in its records is due to the
unavailingness and ineffectiveness of such organization
especially because waiting in tremendous long queues is
worthless that the examiner takes too long time to
record the names. This means not that our reporters do
not confess that there is a group of employees who do
their work properly and show sympathy with them. Even
though they prefer to deal with Iraqi employees who can
easily understand their problems, and confess that the
problem is too gross to undertake it.
Many Iraqis do not try to apply for
the asylum to the United Nations because of lack of
confidence in it, the ignorance about the mechanisms of
United Nations action, and that there are many complains
that the meetings are determined after many months in
Doma territory due to the crowdedness before the center
in the capital, the long queues, and the costs of
transportations. On the other hand, some people are
ready to go through hell in order to secure a steady
situation for their families through obtaining the
temporary protection that protect them firstly against
expelling, departure, or eviction if the conditions in
the homeland changed. Also it can secure a residence in
a foreign country that respects the rights of refugees
ands grants them the right to work and live honorably;
taking into consideration that the hosting country bears
the expenses of human asylums.
The commissariat answered such
criticism stating that it is unable to follow such
tremendous numbers of refugees, the financial abilities
are so weak where the granter countries do not respond
to its requests as it should be, part of the aids is
expended on the executive works, indeed bureaucracy is
existing but it is not the distinguishing feature of
their work, since the outset of the current year it
started in recording the refugees more accurately,
especially after the political decision taken in
February stated that all citizens in south and middle of
Iraq are refugees regardless their legal situation, as
for the inhabitants of the north governorates, they are
determining who accepts the conditions among them in
order to be considered as refugees, and the meeting
takes 45 minutes and consequently the situation of
refugee is determined and then he is enlisted in the
suitable section in order to solve his problems.
Not long ago, the high commissariat
of refugees has recorded the Iraqi refugees existing
only in Damascus where one hundred and twenty eight
thousand names were recorded. Forty or fifty employees
worked to enlist their names and as for the other
refugees, ten employees have traveled to the places
where the refugees live; they live in the northeast of
Syria in Al Hiska territory. It is expected that six
thousand Iraqi refugees will be recorded in two months
and ten thousand will follow them in the following year
from all over Syria.
According to the narrators,
there are few persons among these refugees (15%) who
fulfill the terms of settlement and acceptance in a
foreign country. As if there is no treatment for them in
Syria, or because of the necessity for family reunion,
or because of the lonely women with their kids, or the
involved people are torture victims, or whatever from
the restrictions which are eleven. Such used terms were
expanded for Iraqi in compression with other refugees.
However, the final word is of the countries which have
the right of settlement. Actually these countries should
abide themselves by some certain duties though the terms
of settlement and the bases of dealing with the refugees
are the same in all countries.
It's known that regarding
11 thousands out of 200 thousands refugees in Syria,
Jordon, and Lebanon, some recommendations were issued to
the governmental American agencies, but half of such
agencies have not commenced the procedures which enable
the refugees to enter the United States. For example,
the medical examination and the security reports about
the refugees which may take a year at least. Some legal
activists in Washington have protested against the slow,
weak, bad-financed and complicated efforts exerted by
the United States to receive the Iraqi refugees. It was
said that the reasons behind such actions were the tense
relations with Syria which receives the great deal of
refugees and the few numbers of the employees to the
extent that four meeting only are held every day which
makes the process slow.
The commissariat of
refugees complains about the meager budget allotted for
the Iraqi refugees though it is $15 million in 2007
after it was $2 million in 2006 and became $40 million
since the Jordon conference held in last April. However,
as for Iraq from the inside, the high commissariat of
refugees strives hard to gain $223 million in order to
give instant aid for the needy people taking into
consideration that the number of emigrants inside Iraq
is two million at least.
The commissariat launched a
program along with the alimental world program in order
to give aid for ten thousand Iraqi families in Syria
including 35 persons. The representative of commissariat
said: "Actually the aid will be given to the neediest
families and this is a beginning and we hope to provide
aid for the needy families wholly". The aid was: canned
foods, rice, and sugar, and the Syrian Red Crescent
distributes it every month. It is expected that such aid
will be given to 50 thousand Iraqi refugees before the
end of the year 2007. Informing them about this issue,
messages were sent to the mobile phones of the refugees;
the most successful way, as the members of commissariat
believe, in connecting the refugees who usually have no
permanent address, but from the other hand the mobile
phones are more available with them or with their
neighbors.
As for the student of the
preliminary education, they are 250 thousand but one
hundred of them may join the schools this year. An
American envoy stated that the United States will
increase its support to the countries which host the
Iraqi refugees through granting them $30 million from
$129 million for educating the Iraqi students in the
neighboring countries. This happened after the high
commissariat of refugees and the United Nations
International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
announced that the United Nations intended to send 155
Iraqi student refugees to the schools of the neighboring
countries in the school year 2007-2008. This
equalization enables 100 thousand students to join the
schools in Syria, 50 thousand in Jordon, two thousand in
Egypt, 1500 in Lebanon, and 1500 in other countries of
the region.
As for the distribution of
the foodstuffs, the Syrian Red Crescent bears the
responsibility of doing that with the help of the
alimental world program which granted the Syrian Red
Crescent one thousand tons of foodstuffs to distribute
them for 40 thousand person. The Syrian Red Crescent
also presents medical service in clinics and some
ancillary centers and the commissariat pays the salaries
for such services. In addition, the Red Crescent
received aids in kind in so much as € 3 million and half
which are instruments and equipments.
Indeed, the cooperating
work of the commissariat of refuges, the Syrian Red
Crescent, the World Health Organization, and the
contributions of churches will avail nothing especially
in respect with the newcomers from Iraq who reached to
the districts of Al Qamishli and Az-Zour and indeed they
live in a gross difficult situation in the openness
waiting for the donations of the charitable people. In
fact, the authorities which do not receive any donations
refused to establish tents for them fearing that their
accommodation may become permanent on their lands and
there were no organizations to bear the expenses of
establishing 500 tents.
Whatever the case may be,
great deal of Iraqi inhabitants do not have the minimum
standard of living, therefore how could they send their
sons to school and especially the university while they
have not the right to work (to have a license for work,
you may pay a three thousand bribery), or how they could
make a surgery if it is due, though there are many Red
Crescent clinics in various places? Such clinics and
centers are scattered in As-Sayeda Zainab, Jermana, Al
Mezza, Qudsiya, Berza, and others. Such clinics daily
receive not less than 200 sickly people starting from
simple examinations to simple surgeries but as for the
serious surgeries, they are carried out in certain
hospitals and the commissariat pays 85% from the
expenses and pays 80% from the expenses of the simple
examinations and the is paid by the sick person (this
means: 200 lira which is less 50 lira than the expenses
paid by the Syrian people). Surely the surgeries carried
out in the private hospitals are so expensive, for
example, the Catheter costs $500 and the open-heart
surgery costs $10000. Actually the illnesses of heart
attack, cancer, and many others are so many in a country
in which a great deal of fatal and internationally
forbidden weapons were used, therefore its air, water,
and plants were polluted for a long time. This is if we
disregard the severe psychological and nervous pressures
because of the long suffering caused by various reasons
and what results in consequence from the serious
physical illnesses, and the weakness of immune system
because of the high oxidization of cells.
In some cases, when the
patient comes to his end because of cancer for example,
it is preferred to give the medicine to another patient
who might be recovered; this is due to the lack of
medicines and the medicines of chronic diseases
exclusively. Insulin for instance, 50 thousand persons
are in need for it while there are 10 thousand doses
only in the stores. However, some hospitals present free
services for Iraqi people and there is a hot line for
the quick treatment, the Red Crescent complained about
the great burdens it bears and some criticism was
directed to the role of World Health Organization which
gives inefficient and inappropriate aids for an
organization from the kind of World Health Organization.
When we were passing a private
hospital in As-Sayeda Zainab district, an amputee man
lying on a car at the reception attracted our
attentions. Actually we asked about him and knew that he
lost his legs one after another because he was stricken
by the blood sugar and there is a lack in Insulin the
matter resulted in gangrene set in and he had to have
his legs amputated. Moreover, he is threatened with
losing his sight. When we carefully examined his matter
and mentioned his name to an official in the Red
Crescent, the latter confessed that there was a lack in
Insulin for a period of time and therefore they could
not provide the patient with the due care. However, as
for the United Nations commissariat, it already listed
his name ten months ago in its records but nothing
happened until the current time. It is worth mentioning
that such man was a well-known character in his country
but now he reached a stage where he receives the
charities and a person must be next to him in order to
pull his wheelchair. Unfortunately, the tears of this
man were dropping silently while he was telling us about
his today situation of displacement, inability, lack of
work, and so on. Indeed, he had two hundred thousand
lira but he expended them all and thereupon he intended
to return to Iraq in order to live with his relatives
because he is afraid to return home because he is still
under threat.
Eventually, we want to mention that
the assistant of the refugees' affairs high commissioner
met some Syrian officials to discuss the issue of new
procedures. She was told: "It is necessary that the
global community should deal more seriously with the
issue of refugees". The chief of the high commissariat
of refugees praised Jordan and Syria because they hosted
the Iraqi refugees; on the other hand a few numbers of
them went to Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey. He said that
the global community owes them such favor because they
bear a highly expensive responsibility, drawing the
attentions to the necessity of separating the political
aspects, especially with respect to Syria, from the
current human tragedies. He also pointed to the
Syrian-German treaty of providing aids for refugees
describing it saying: "It is a great positive
development". Moreover, he did not forget to remind the
other countries to tread in the same steps and provide
the direct subsidy for Syria and Jordan stressing that
the education and health sectors are the neediest for
subsidies.
Iraq Embassy:
Actually we visited Iraq Embassy
where we met the highest representative (He is charge
d'affaires and not an ambassador. He started working at
the outset of May 2007 until the nomination of a new
ambassador) whom we asked some questions. Besides, we
tried to watch the procedures of management before the
crowds of citizens who were waiting their turns under
the flaming rays of summer sunshine to sign license for
movement or to sign their ID cards. Apparently, not less
than one thousand persons daily visit the embassy of
their country and sometimes the number might be doubled.
Indeed, it is no wonder if we know that 8 thousand
persons daily enter to Syria during the summer.
The relations between the two
countries continued to be disconnected for two decades
to the extent that there was no relations at all save
the mission of national interests which was headed by
Algeria. The matter continued in this manner until the
last year when the two countries agreed to recommence
the diplomatic relations after the provisional Iraqi
government called the Arab countries to send their
ambassadors to Baghdad despite the actions of kidnapping
and murdering afflicted some of the Arab diplomatists in
Iraq. As a result of recommencing the relations at the
outset of 2007, Jalal Talibani, the Iraqi president,
visited Syria at the head of a great delegation and
spent a week there. During this visit, the two counties
signed some treaties for cooperation in the security
aspects (including extradition of the judicially wanted
persons including the supporters of the former president
and supporters of the armed struggle against the
American forces), and the petroleum, economic, and
hydrologic fields. It is supposed that the parliamentary
and the cabinet of the two sides to approve such
treaties in order to commence putting them into action.
It is worth mentioning that, there
are semi-systematic flights between the two countries at
the rate of two flights everyday and sometimes less than
this because of the bad security conditions in Iraq.
Actually a great deal of accusations were attributed to
Syria, especially by America, that most of persons who
execute the suicidal attacks enter through the Syrian
borders and Syria knows this well. On the other hand,
the Syrian officials emphasize that they do their best
in order to control the borders. Indeed, there are
dozens of foreigners in the Syrian jails because of
sneaking into Iraq but the borders are so long and
difficult to be controlled completely like the borders
between the United States and Mexico through which many
Mexico emigrants secretly sneaking into America despite
the huge means of watching owned by the later.
The embassy cooperates with the Iraqi
people in Syria, but with the powers which take part in
the political process; this is done according to the
orders of decision makers. That is to say, the embassy
excludes the rest of powers though it represents all
political colors. During the visit of Maliki to Damascus
in this summer, a group fifteen Iraqi political
characters asked for his meeting to inquire about their
rights. However, they were faced by absolute refusal
when the charge d'affaires told them that Al Maliki does
not meet with opposition figures. The charge d'affaires
told the Syrian news agencies that he had a meeting with
Iraqi people in Syria save the opposition figures. Some
of the people whom we met complained this kind of
relations which badly influences dealing with them and
fulfilling their requests especially when discrimination
done among them on the ethnic, racial, or political
basis. In a situation like this, no doubt bribery is
overwhelming and we had to believe that it is existed in
the high levels before it was occurred before us by
chance during our visit.
The passport type (G) is bought by
$600 but not officially and there is a (gang) as it is
called that shares the money. Iraqi people believe that
the number of embassy employees is inefficient to
conduct their requests quickly or to give them the
required passports, especially when taking into
consideration that the newborn babes have to own a
private passport. Some Iraqi people never deal with
their embassy and resort to the agents because of the
jam, the long ranks before the embassy under the heat of
the sun, rains, humiliation, bribery, delay in
fulfilling requests, and the inefficiency of the embassy
to resolve some certain serious issues. In addition,
there are some Iraqi people who ask the Syrian
government to find a solution to the problem of
passports and to talk to the Iraqi government regarding
this issue under the pretext of forbidding sneaking into
the Syrian land. Moreover, some of them expressed their
hope for extending the period of staying and imposing a
tax in return for this which will result in financial
income to the hosting countries to help them in facing
many pressures.
The officials in the embassy believe
that the most serious problems they encounter are the
problems of food and education because more than half of
Iraqi sons living in Syria do not go to schools (some
people allege that 33% of them are listed in schools).
That is because of the weak financial abilities of some
people from one hand, some sons leave the schools in
order to work and earning a living for their families
from the other hand, and also because some of them were
expelled especially from Baghdad, Al Anbar, and Diali
without taking their private papers and identifications
believing that they would quickly return, but days
elapsed, they waited for a long, and lived for the hope
of improving the situations.
As for the financial aids and
foodstuffs, the embassy of the view that such matter is
out of its official work which is limited to managing
some executive activities such as signing the passports,
birth certificates, and the like. Surely all such
activities are highly expensive, for example, the people
of a dead person pay one thousand dollars in order to
get a certificate allowing them to carry the corpse to
Iraq, and thirty dollars in order to extend the period
of passport. In order extend the passport, it is
imperative to have an ID card but when such ID card is
stolen, burnet, or lost among the devastations, then how
could man extend his passport of make an ID card?
Besides, when man has no ID card or passport, he is
considered fugitive from law and becomes subjected to
detention or forbidding from entering the country for
many years.
Generally, Iraqi people sorrowfully
view the handling made by the embassies of their country
towards their situations deeming it down the required
level especially in Syria and Jordon where the number of
refugees is so tremendous in comparison with other
countries. They view that it is the duty of embassy to
establish specialized offices in the issues of emigrants
without delay. The lives of people are in a very
dangerous state and in no way they could bear more
waiting or delay. This happens in the time where they
are afflicted with very difficult financial healthy
social educational circumstances which result in losing
their sons and daughters between deviation,
exploitation, or crime along with the lack of
educational and healthy care, despair of tomorrow, the
overwhelming of illnesses in the circumstances of
oppression and humiliation. Verily they are in a
desperate need for this kind of aid and to undertake the
responsibility of them in a country like Syria which
lives in a regime that does allow the societies and
civil institutions to work freely but in very narrow
margins.
Deductions:
Naturally, the aids provided by the
Syrian authorities from medicine and education in no way
satisfy the needs of Iraqi refugees completely, even
though there are some projects that aim at establishing
private hospitals and eight schools and enlarging one
hundred schools. In the same manner, the aids given by
the Syrian Red Crescent, the commissariat of refugees,
the churches, the individual initiatives of business men
or even undistinguished families, or the unknown sides
from the civil society which were motivated by the sheer
human motives. All this completely, is inefficient to
satisfy a small part from the needs, moreover the aids
usually reaches not all people who are in dire need for
it.
For sure the situation is very
critical and will increase more and more in the
following months because the situation in Iraq is still
stagnant and no agreed solutions by all parts in order
to help the country to come out of the quagmire it was
trapped in, especially because the last phase in Bush
reign, the obstinacy of his administration, and the
aggression of the lobby which works behind the scenes
and in the big companies craving after the petroleum of
Iraq besides the aggravation of the Iranian issue and
the foreign pressures on it because of its nuclear file.
Actually the policy of the United
States is censured by the global community and the
United Nations at the head because of the pressure and
bloodsucking of American people. Surely the most
important objective of the United States is to stipulate
the canon of petroleum, to secure permanent military
bases in Iraq, and to resolve the clashes with the
internal increasing opposition to the military American
existence in Iraq. In order to achieve its objectives,
it constricts the competences of the United Nations
whenever it wants and broadens them whenever it wants.
The muzzling of the great countries of the permanent
membership for some regional deals helps it to do so or
the craving after playing the role of domestic
opposition in which Sarkozy, president of France,
proceeds blindly, besides we can in no way forget the
Arab responsibility about what happens to an Arab
brother nation which pays gross price for the a foreign
cupidity and a stupid internal polices. Many (brothers)
became vindicators or executers of the decisions of (the
highest leader, i. e. bush) in order to keep their
chairs pretending to have forgotten the proverb which
says: 'I was eaten when the black ox was".
If Syria wants a political
comprehensive fair resolution in Iraq, still refusing to
surrender from the political or security aspect, such as
extradition of the wanted persons for financial gains,
and still deals pragmatically with the issue, we indeed
have real fears regarding the enhancement of the
security role in the political life due to the human
eviction. Actually the security systems fear million and
half persons who have tendency towards violence due to
many reasons and fear that the conflict might be moved
to Iraqi people. Therefore there are some people who
justify keeping them under the supremacy for the sake of
collective security for them and for the Syrian society.
We heard this speech from some officials in Jordon;
indeed securing security usually is the thing that
inspires fears under whose name great deal of vices are
committed by the holder of power especially nothing is
constant in policy save interests.
The most important requests should be
directed to the Iraqi authorities before others in order
to undertake the responsibility of paying due salaries
and securing the rights of Iraqi citizens in accordance
with the Iraqi law that there 90% employees from the
refugees. In addition, the previous laws of Iraq should
be reactivated such as the retirement law of the social
insurance for sustaining the continent families; instead
of preventing the social aids, it is imperative to
finance the healthy and educational constitutions which
are in dire need for aid and exclusively in this time.
The resolution begins from stopping the wide military
invasions which result in great evictions and punishing
every participant in the compulsory eviction inside or
outside the country. Withdrawal of occupation from Iraq
and stopping its hellish plans wholly which aim at
destroying the infrastructure is the best answer for the
problem through resolving its reasons not its outcomes
only. Also it is necessary to determine distinguished
neighboring relations based on exchanged respect,
because the absence of Iraqi powerful country gives not
the right to Iranian neighbor for example to interfere
in the Iraqi-Iraqi conflicts, otherwise Iran will pay
the price, sooner or later, though opening the file of
its racial nationalistic structure and paving the way to
anyone who wants to interfere to do so. In addition, we
have not to forget that the change of executive should
be done without delay, due to the fact that the
international law casts the responsibility on the
executives and the individuals whether they are the
basic perpetrators, conspiracies, or partners in
committing the crimes or instigating them. All such
criminals should be punished according the international
law and the human conscience for the crimes they
committed in the right of humanity through the outrage
of the rights of Iraqi people.
It is imperative to work quickly for
wiping off the tears of the Iraqi people and bandaging
their physical and psychological wounds through
undertaking their responsibilities and relieving their
difficulties. They Syrian authorities are also asked to
facilitate the process of entering and housing Iraqi
refugees and the temporary situation would turn into
permanent one by the time. During such difficult time,
it is necessary to find solutions to help the Iraqi
people to survive till finding a resolve. Could we
imagine, for example, that a doctor has lived since
quarter of century without a place for residence only
through a paper called "ID card" issued by the office of
Iraqi national authority? When the contribution in the
doctors' syndicate became fifty thousands after it was
six thousands lira only, then how could we facilitate to
Syria to utilize this coming energy in an honorable way?
Especially after the Iraqi hospitals became void of
their qualified and professional doctors and in order
not to forget the career which is in continuous
progress. Like Jordan, for example, which assimilated
the professional Iraqi doctors in order to develop
education and utilize these energies. How could we help
and safeguard this human wealth by not leaving them to
return home which means death for them especially if we
know that there are eight thousands jobless doctors in
Syria and few of them work secretly without the
knowledge of the country? Is it not more beneficial for
Syria in such bad psychological state of those people
because of the bad conditions of their homeland, the
painful feeling of losing it, and the feeling of guilt
for leaving relatives and family, to make such people to
avoid humiliation and things which feed the hidden
aggression in every human self? No doubt, there is much
facilitation that should be studied rapidly for the
goodness of all.
The Iraqi people themselves can find
suitable solutions for their own problems provided that
they have the freedom of moving and the security
authorities relieve them from the pressures which count
their breaths all. Indeed, there are many high
intellectual and education energies, whether in Syria or
the country of migration, which can undertake the
responsibility of their fellow citizens if they were
provided the suitable reasons and helping factors in
order to provide safeguarding and security for all
refugees without exception. For example, they could
phone some artistes in order to devote the quarter of
their works for the emigrants, or to call for making
displays or parties and use their returns in
establishing hospitals or schools; indeed the
preparation of a clinic, without building, costs $100000
and the preparation of a hospital costs three or four
doubles of this amount because of the existence of
ambulance and the surgery room.
Certainly this will relieve the
burdens of the country; especially the responsibility of
the public affairs is not only of the political
authorities, but also of the individuals. Moreover, the
civil national society should assume its role which can
naturally call aids of the international civil society
without being accused of subordination, collusion, or
the like from the accusation which died out since a long
time in the global world.
Actually there were some initiatives
to form associations and communities by Iraqi people but
this was not accepted because of the fear of the Syrian
regime; even if such blocks were professional ones like
lawyers or journalists. At the time in which the Syrian
regime is overwhelmed by the conspiracy theory regarding
the associations of civil society, seven or eight
associations have introduced their papers for the
authorities aiming at proving aids for the refugees.
However, such associations have not got the permission,
according to our knowledge, to start work till the
current time and the aids are still kept with the Syrian
Red Crescent or with the churches. Some Iraqi sides
believe that the European Union, especially the European
parliamentary, should exert some pressure to allow to
the human organizations to work in order to relieve the
suffering of Iraqi people.
If there are some doubts about the
sources of financing, the Syrian authorities can ask the
associations to register the amount of the in kind aids
they receive like what was done by Kaftaro complex in
order not to be accused of money laundry or supporting
terrorism. These doubts are enhanced by the pressures of
the United States which accused Syria of money laundry
through a charitable association. On the other hand, the
United States will continue its pressures on Syria in
order not to leave the dimensions of atrocities caused
by occupation in Iraq to be disclosed. (The American
Forces broke the headquarters of Muslim Scholars
Organization in Iraq into, confiscated their items, and
accused it of terrorism because it received aids from
Red Crescent Association of Emirate; the aids were in
kind aids in the form of canned foods and succor
materials including a tent, a blanket, and a gas flask;
indeed dozens of charitable associations in Iraq were
attack in the name of war against terrorism).
As long as the Syrian authorities
continue in refusing the requests of charitable
associations to work among the Iraqi refugees in Syria,
it would be so difficult to discover the dimensions of
the crisis and finding the suitable solutions for them,
nevertheless some Iraqi tries hard to reach, through the
personal and individual relations, the neediest people
for help and aid.
With regard to us, our mission was
not clashed with the kind of authorities which are not
concerned that whether Arab or international sides
undertake the issue of refugees; on the contrary, this
will facilitate our mission and harden it for our
opponents. The legal official sides that responsible for
this file refused to meet us before knowing what we will
say and do; both the national leadership and the Syrian
Red Crescent, under the pretext that we censured Syria
in another works of the Arab Committee for human rights
with regard to the human rights file.
Some activists, in respect of
engaging of the Syrian Authorities with the "home
organizations" as the government called it, said: "The
Syrian authorities call for encouraging the
"developmental activities" and issue the statements
regarding the "volunteer work", its importance and the
necessity to encourage it. However, reality is something
else. To proof this, we say: during the late months the
authorities issued some decisions regarding the refusal
of giving the licenses for many charitable associations
for "social reasons" mentioned not in the refusal
decision; whether for "no need for your services",
"there are no ingredients for success", or "the
association has the same goals of the world feminine
union" and so on from the groundless pretexts".
According to our reporters, number of
the Iraqi characters living in Syria suggested for Iraqi
sides which are public-spirited people and concerned
about the volunteering work among the refugees to form
an official delegation (or delegations) from European
parliamentary characters who are resistant to war or
from sympathetic well known characters to visit Damascus
for encouraging the government to turn aside from its
decision which will result in gross human catastrophe
for more than one million Iraqi; especially because the
Syrian government searches for international sympathy
regarding its positive stance with the Iraqi refugees
during the last years. It is well known that the
decision of grant in aid granted Jordon $30 million to
care about the Iraqi students, on the other hand, Syria
was granted nothing though it cared freely about hundred
thousands of Iraqi students three years ago; the matter
caused big resentment for the Syrian government.
Recommendations:
We have asked our reporters to
suggest some recommendations regarding the basic needs
of citizens and they produced them in the following
form:
Firstly-
any work in Iraq should start with
wiping occupation out and giving the chance to Iraqi
people to live and enjoy their wealth, afterwards,
anyone of the officials who committed crimes in the
right of Iraqi people must be introduced for trial.
Certainly any kind of pressure on any faction in Iraq
without national comprehensive project, will cause such
faction to turn in on itself and will cause the
factional partition; the matter which is endorsed by
influential sides. Commencing in the national liberation
project, the occupation will collapse and things came
with it would be null and void. Waiting that to come
true, the commissariat of refugees should, through its
embassies in the neighboring countries or the through
the regular meetings held for Iraqi refugees issues,
call upon the Iraqi government to interest in the
following issues which fall under its authority and
power, such as:
1- Canceling the financial taxes
imposed by the Iraqi embassy on refugees, like the taxes
paid for extending passports, getting visas from
agencies, and the like which are an additional burden on
the refugees, besides facilitating the executive
procedures.
2- Opening Iraqi clinics controlled
by the Iraqi government like what was previously happens
or by the commissariat in order to treat the Iraqi
refugees and especially those who have chronic illnesses
and giving them the needed medicine in the neighboring
countries through medicinal cards.
3- Sending the canned foods within
the rations to the refugees in the neighboring countries
or sending its value in cash which will facilitate the
matter for the Iraqi commerce ministry and for the
refugees themselves in the same time.
4- Sending the salaries for the
retired refugees in the neighboring countries because it
is so difficult for them to go monthly to receive them
from Iraq, especially most of them are old and sick. The
government may assign a national bank in the neighboring
countries to distribute such salaries in return for
small commission paid by the retired people.
5- It is necessary for the Iraqi
government to help the refugees in earning a living
through granting them financial aids, loans, or opening
small projects that help them in earning a living for
them and their families in eviction; the refugees should
have a share in the governmental budget that paid in
such fields.
6- It necessary to establish central
coffers for the widows and orphans in order to
compensate them though the country lest their affairs
wholly turn for the charitable associations; taking into
consideration that the occupation caused one million
widows and five millions orphans besides one million
victims.
7- It is necessary to establish
educational universities for Iraqi sons and to educate
them at the expenses of country provided that the Iraqi
professors who are jobless in the eviction work therein.
8- It is also necessary to begin in
establishing hospitals under the command of the Iraq and
Syrian governments to serve Iraqi people and provide
jobs for the jobless doctors in the eviction.
9- Asking the countries participated
in occupation forces to pay compensations and
indemnities for the emigrant citizens as they are
responsible, legally and morally, for the situation to
which Iraqi people ended.
Secondly-
opening a conversation with the
praiseworthy neighboring countries which lodge the Iraqi
refugees regarding providing possible facilitations to
them, such as:
1- Facilitating the procedures of
entering into the country to Iraqi people and extending
the periods of settlement; indeed it is so difficult for
old people, kids, and women to do such things every
short time.
2- Giving the settlement for one
school year to the refugees who have sons in the Syrian
school. Indeed such decision is existed but it is
operative in the current time for unknown reasons;
besides giving the annual settlement for people who
gained the title refugee from the commissariat of
refugees.
3- Opening the work fields for the
refugees in order to help them in earning a living,
because most of them have academic experience and
certificates even temporarily till the situation become
better and the refugees return back to Iraq.
Unfortunately, the Syrian law does not allow refugees to
work, to make small projects, or to own real estate or
cars.
4- Allowing the well-known human
organizations all over the Arab and western worlds to
work directly to assure the lowest level of good health
for refugees.
Thirdly-
recommendations for the commissariat
work: it may be more beneficial to revise the names
of refugees' alphabetically and putting the orders in
the headquarters of the commissariat in order to reduce
their suffering caused by the long distance between the
place of registration of the commissariat from the
capital and to reduce the burdens that undertaken by the
revisers because of much revising. It is possible to
open a division in the middle of capital at the
headquarters of the commissariat to provide consultation
and advice for the refugees instead of going to the
office or registration in Doma, besides putting the web
site of the commissariat on the net which facilitate
answering the inquiries of Iraqi people and others.
Fourthly:
Hopefully, we request the Arab League
to care about establishing an office for managing the
emergency funds to help Iraqi people.
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