News Roundup: Vietnamese Refugees, Aid in Jordan, Photography

In The Moderate Voice, Dorian De Wind writes about the contrast between the American response to Vietnamese refugees and Iraqi ones. He writes:

America and Americans opened up their hearts and arms to this “first wave” of Vietnamese refugees. (Hundreds of thousands of additional Vietnamese would be given refuge in our country during the next 10 years.) Within a few months the refugees were resettled in communities throughout the U.S. Thousands were graciously welcomed by Americans into their own homes; thousands more were “sponsored” by social and welfare organizations and provided with jobs. The vast majority would become hard-working, productive, loyal and grateful residents of our country.

A model, indeed, for what the US response to the current Iraqi refugee crisis could be.

The Christian Science Monitor has recently reported about the aid given to the Jordanian government to boost their resources to provide services to its Iraqi refugee population. According to the article, the UNHCR gave 61% of its operational budget to Jordan in 2007. For example, the UNHCR gave $10 million to the Jordanian education ministry, the European Community gave $39 million, and USAID gave $8 million to support the education of Iraqi refugees. But the article notes the following:

But for the 2007-08 school year, fewer than 20,000 Iraqi students were enrolled in the public schools. While the yearly cost of educating a student was estimated by the government at about $800 a year, Jordan received more than $2,100 in aid for every Iraqi student in 2007.

Another area where the Jordanian government has received aid for Iraqis is in the health sector. The article relates:

UNHCR gave another $10 million to Jordan's Health Ministry in 2007. Given this support, Jordan said Iraqis could get primary healthcare in public hospitals at low fees. Many of the poorest still go to nongovernmental clinics run by UNHCR's partners, where care is free.

What the article implies is that this aid that is ostensibly for Iraqi refugees is ending up benefiting the Jordanian ministries. Countries that welcome Iraqi refugees ought to be helped with the burden this population presents on the country's resources but the aid given also must be carefully monitored. Given that the UNHCR is suffering from serious shortfalls in funding from international donor countries, it ought to be very discriminate about where and how its aid is used.

Furthermore, a new photography book entitled, Silent Exodus: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees in Exile, will come out in October, 2008. The photographer, Zalmai, documented the lives of Iraqis in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon and the introduction is written by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. A photograph from the collection is featured below.

News: UNHCR Signs Deal with International Medical Corps

The UNHCR has recently contracted the International Medical Corps, an international non-governmental organization akin to Doctors Without Borders, to open three clinics in Damascus for the aid of Iraqi refugees living in Syria. ReliefWeb reports:

To date, international NGOs have not been given permission to work with Iraqi refugees in Syria. A limited number of small local charities have been working with UNHCR over the past few years, but the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is UNHCR's main implementing partner in the country.

IMC will start work at a time when Syrian Arab Red Crescent clinics dedicated to refugee health care are having to cope with rising numbers of Iraqi patients. More than 150,000 refugees have visited the clinics since the beginning of the year, compared to 200,000 for the whole of last year.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR continues to report that its lack of funding for Iraqi refugees will lead lead to dramatic cuts in aid programs, ranging from food to health to direct financial assistance:

Health programmes for Iraqis could be drastically reduced and the provision of some specialized medical interventions might come to a complete halt. By August, UNHCR will not be able to cover all basic health needs of Iraqis, and many seriously ill Iraqis will not be able to receive their monthly medication.

Since January, 150,000 Iraqis in Syria and close 19,000 in Jordan received basic health care assistance. With health facilities compromised in many parts of Iraq and many doctors no longer available, a growing number of ailing Iraqis are becoming refugees as they leave home in search of medical care elsewhere.

The UNHCR claims that it lacks the $127 million of the $261 million it asked of the international community in January for the Iraqi refugee relief effort. Compare the shortfall of $127 million with the cost of Iraq war spending by the United States, which is $341.4 million per day according to the the National Priorities Project.

News Roundup: 5/5/08

According to the UN news agency, IRIN, the UNHCR is facing a funding shortfall for its financial request for Iraqi refugees:

At present, some 12,000 people (mostly heads of families) receive monthly financial assistance of US$100-$200 to meet their most urgent needs. Their position will be dire should the funds not materialise.

Wilkes said that while in September 2007, some 33,000 people needed food aid, the number had now risen to over 110,000. "By the end of the year that would increase by tens of thousands," she said.

The spiking costs of food on the global market, such as wheat and grain, will only exacerbate the situation of the desperate. In addition to staggering oil costs, aid agencies will find it ever more costly to deliver aid and may find other nations less willing to contribute funds towards the effort.

The AFP reports that Jordan has imposed new restrictions on Iraqi refugee admittances. The new law, effective since May 1st, requires Iraqi refugees to obtain visas to enter Jordan. Visas are obtainable through Jordanian embassies or courier services.

Vice magazine has a disturbing first hand account of Syrian prostitution clubs, many of which are populated by young Iraqi refugee girls. The author relates:

On the following Friday evening, I went—this time with an Arab friend—to the discotheque in the basement of the Hotel Meridien. After my friend had met a few of the girls there, he confirmed that they were all Iraqi refugees. Some had been prostitutes under Saddam’s regime, and some were there following the very dark, violent, inconceivable cataclysms that the war had brought into their lives. All of them were drunk to the point of staggering up and down the carpeted stairs under the weak, cheap disco lights.

News: UNHCR Reports New Number of Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that internally displaced persons (IDP) in Iraq are now estimated to be 2.77 million people. The report states that the increase of 300,000 people since the last count in December 2007 is largely due to a improved data entry and not a severe rise in IDP. The report notes:

new displacement is continuing at a much lower pace than in the previous two years, which is partly due to the presence of more homogenous communities, districts and neighbourhoods; consequent media information campaigns; a decrease in security incidents; restriction of freedom of movement in many Iraqi governorates; and exhaustion of resources for many families.

New secondary displacement has been reported in Baghdad, however. Many of the Iraqis who decided to return to Iraq the end of last year – often after having run out of resources – found themselves displaced again in Baghdad as property had been destroyed, looted or occupied. A total of 40 percent of surveyed IDPs in Baghdad fled due to direct threats and forced eviction from their property, while between 10-17 percent fled due to generalized violence and fear.

It is interesting to note that the report states that many refugees, likely from Syria and Jordan, who have returned to Iraq now find themselves as internally displaced persons and are unable to settle in their old homes and neighborhoods.

Washington Post Chat: The Iraqi Refugee Crisis

As part of a five-year retrospective on the Iraq War, the Washington Post hosted an internet chat with Kristele Younes of Refugees International to discuss the plight of displaced Iraqis. Ms. Younes recently returned from visits to Jordan and Syria where she assessed the situation of Iraqi refugees (read her report).

During the wide ranging and informative internet discussion, Ms. Younes tackled a variety of key topics related to the refugee crisis.

On the delay in processing Special Immigrant Visas (SIV):

The Kennedy legislation- increasing the visas to 5,000 -- and its adoption by Congress are definitely positive steps. It is now up to the administration to implement the legislation and ensure it devotes the resources needed for it. Refugees International, as for other advocacy groups, will continue watching. Congress too is watching, and the administration is obliged by law to report to Congress on its progress with the implementation.

On the danger faced by those returning to Iraq:

According to the UNHCR, the conditions in Iraq are absolutely not conducive to return for the moment. This position is supported by the U.S. State Department. Refugees International strongly believes that return should not be encouraged until Iraqis can go home, on their own free will, in safety and dignity.

Obviously, we all hope that Iraqis will be able to return one day. But those who have returned in the last few months- forced to do so because they could no longer survive in exile- have mostly been unable to return to their homes. Seventy percent became internally displaced. Some were attacked or killed. In these conditions, return is not only dangerous for the displaced, it also adds to the potential for increased instability and violence.

And, on what America can do to help out:

It is essential the American public engages on this issue. As this is an electoral year, Americans need to ask all candidates to come up with a plan to deal with the humanitarian crisis. This is a bipartisan issue, and should concern us all. We need to increase assistance to the U.N. and to the region, increase resettlement numbers, increase U.S. engagement in the Middle East, and work on ensuring that whatever military course the U.S. takes in Iraq, it will consider the humanitarian consequences and ensure that civilians will be protected against further violence.

To learn more about what was discussed, read the full transcript.

UNHCR calls for more aid to Jordan and Syria to support refugees

The UN High Commission on Refugees is calling on the global community to give more aid and support to Jordan and Syria, two countries who have had a massive influx of Iraqi refugees, which have taxed both governments ability to alleviate the strains on their economies. Antonio Guterres urged increased efforts, stating "We know the heavy price that they have been paying (Jordan and Syria) in order to accommodate such a large number of Iraqis with a heavy impact on the economy and society" He also stated that Jordan and Syria have reiterated their support of Iraqi refugees and pledged that they would not send Iraqis back to their war torn country.

It will be interesting to see where this leads, and weather the governments of Jordan and Syria are sincere in their commitments. I say this because it is becoming increasingly difficult, as mentioned earlier for these governments to cope with the influx. Jordan for instance has recently ended subsidies) on fuel and many other goods forcing prices on some products to surge by as much or more than 100% of their previous rates. This was not instituted because of the refugee problem obviously, but in order to curb a large deficit. This is a burden which not only Iraqi refugees in Jordan, but also Jordanians themselves have to shoulder, and many will have a hard time doing it. Increased aid will ease the burden on refugees and the governments, so they will not have to resort to radical methods.

News Roundup: Week of February 4

State Department officials described the Iraqi refugee situation this week as a "looming problem" for the Middle East, while also acknowledging what has become tragically apparent: the U.S. may fall short of its pledge to admit 12,000 Iraqis between October 2007 and September 2008 (Fiscal Year 2008). As detailed in a Washington Post article on Tuesday, only around 10% of the goal has been fulfilled through four months.

Read the full briefing from State here.

This week a diverse group of prominent figures were in the news calling attention to the Iraqi refugee crisis. U.S. Representatives John Dingell and Alcee Hastings wrote a letter to Condoleeza Rice asking for increased government involvement:

"In addition to the moral and humanitarian elements of this problem, the lack of resources being provided to refugees and displaced persons from the United States and the international community is creating a potential security crisis, as the most vulnerable Iraqis are turning to extremist elements for assistance."

To read the full text of the letter, go to Congressman Dingell's website.

In her capacity as a goodwill representative for UNHCR, Angelina Jolie visited Iraq and met with aid organizations and high level Iraqi and US officials including General David Petraeus. Click on this AFP article to read more about the visit and issues being discussed.

Finally, a new play by George Packer on the plight of Iraqis who risked their lives to help the U.S. opened in New York. "Betrayed" is adapted from Packer's March 2007 New Yorker story of the same title.

Charles Isherwood discusses the play in a New York Times theater review.

In Focus: Iraqi refugees with little options

This blog has tried to bring attention to the plight of Iraqi refugees who have fled to other parts of the region including Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Now a new UN report sheds light onto the struggles of Iraqi refugees living in Egypt. While UNHCR has registered just under 10,000 Iraqis in the country, various NGOs estimate a much higher figure that ranges from 100,000 to 150,000. Like others displaced by this conflict, many are being forced to consider a return home even though it is not safe. As reported in IRIN, the UN's news website aimed at raising awareness on humanitarian issues:

While resettlement by UNHCR is hoped for but not necessarily forthcoming, some Iraqis in Egypt say they are returning home due to dried up funds, as opposed to security improvements.

Um Omar, a 58-year-old widow who arrived in Egypt about a year ago, said she was considering returning to Iraq due to a lack of alternatives, though she fears the violence she would face there. She told IRIN that last year two of her sister’s daughters were killed when a bomb went off in a mosque in the al-Kah’kh neighbourhood of Baghdad.

“I am between heaven and hell,” she said. “Life in Baghdad is expensive and I am scared to return.”

With the outlook for Iraqi refugees steadily and endlessly worsening, it is an especially pressing time for the US to make sure its commitment to accept 12,000 Iraqis during the 2008 Fiscal Year is not simply rhetoric.

News: UNHCR seeking $261 million to aid Iraqi refugees

In an effort to respond to an increasingly dire situation, the UN refugee agency has requested a significant increase in funds to aid Iraq's internally displaced and refugee populations. The $261 million (close to $100 more than the 2007 budget) request for 2008 would go towards projects that provide direct financial assistance to Iraqi families and enroll more Iraqi children in schools. The collection of these funds are largely dependent on government contributions. To read the UNHCR press release, click here.

News: Iraq Unprepared to Reintegrate Refugees

Over the past several weeks, this blog has highlighted reports and news articles that question some of the optimistic outlooks being offered after a return of some refugees to Iraq. As we previously commented, UNHCR released a report on misleading figures regarding who is crossing the border and the AP has reported that Iraqi officials admit they cannot yet handle a significant return of refugees.

A New York Times article has brought to light even more reason to be concerned about the reintegration process of refugees returning to Iraq. Refugees are coming back to a chaotic situation:

The housing situation in Baghdad resembles a fraught game of musical chairs. Some displaced people are renting refugees’ homes; others moved in secretly or by force. Still others, like Ms. Kadhom and Ms. Hashim [two Iraqi returnees profiled in this story], have nowhere to move back to, either because their homes are gone or their neighborhoods are unsafe. And as refugees return in greater numbers, and find strangers, especially strangers from a different sect, living in their homes, security gains here could be erased.

As one Iraqi describes, nobody is willing to help mitigate some of the consequences that could be caused by the altered demographic:

“There’s no one helping us negotiate the return,” he said, shaking his head. “The Americans are telling us that we’ve got to negotiate between each other, because it’s not their business. But the Iraqi government said it’s not their business either."

To read the rest of the New York Times article, click here.

News: UNHCR cites conflicting reports on Iraqi return figures

A UNHCR press release issued on Friday, December 7 explores some of the difficulties that agencies such as UNHCR face when reporting on refugee figures, and returns in particular - difficulties that can lead to the sometimes conflicting reports that get issued.

Part of the problem, according to the press release, is that not everyone being counted is a refugee:

[The number of returning refugees reported] includes all categories of Iraqis, including bus and taxi drivers, and not just refugees who returned for good. UNHCR does not have a 24-hour presence at the border and relies on various sources to estimate numbers.

Adding to the difficulty in understanding the current state of the refugee crisis are the many and varied reasons for which people return to Iraq. According to UNHCR spokesman William Spindler:

"UNHCR staff have spoken to a wide range of refugees before they left Syria, and some said they were returning because they believed that security had improved, while others said they had run out of resources and feared the winter period when the cost of living jumps. Others are leaving because they have outstayed their visas,"...

Some also wanted to arrive before the end of the year to enable their children to enrol in school, the spokesperson said, while adding that there was "a real concern among the returnees about longer-term security with many saying they are only returning to areas where they feel secure because of the local security arrangements in place."

The rest of the press release discusses other issues faced by refugees in Syria and Lebanon, many of which have been discussed previously on this blog, but it is well worth reading.

News: Iraqi Refugees Struggle in Jordan and Lebanon

Recent news coverage has slowly begun to focus on the deteriorating situation for Iraqi refugees in neighboring Syria. Nevertheless, two new reports should remind us that their plight outside of Iraq is widespread. As reported in IRIN, the UN's news website aimed at raising awareness on humanitarian issues:

Many Iraqi asylum-seekers in Jordan have fallen victim to resettlement scams in which they are approached by individuals claiming to guarantee their resettlement in a third country with the help of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), according to UN officials and Iraqi residents.

It is unclear how many Iraqis have fallen victim to resettlement scams, but the UN estimates the number to be in the thousands. While Jordan is currently hosting an estimated 500,000 Iraqi refugees, roughly 50,000 have fled to Lebanon. Although this may seem like a relatively small amount, it places a great deal of pressure on a country of 4 million that already hosts a Palestinian refugee population of up to 300,000. The consequences are outlined by a report released this week by Human Rights Watch:

Lebanese authorities treat as illegal immigrants Iraqis who enter Lebanon illegally or enter legally but then overstay their visas, regardless of their intent to seek asylum. Iraqi refugees are then subject to arrest, fines and detention by the Lebanese authorities.

Click here to read the IRIN report. To read more about the Human Rights Watch report, click here.

News: Iraq Says It Can't Handle Refugee Influx

While newspapers and magazines have been reporting encouraging stories about Iraqis being able to return home as a result of reduced violence, and the Iraqi Red Crescent reporting that 25,000 refugees have returned since September 15, the Associated Press is reporting that the Iraqi government has admitted that it is unprepared for a large influx of returning refugees, and that the US military fears that returning refugees could spark renewed sectarian violence.

The return of refugees is a politically charged issue in this country, where the embattled government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is eager to point to recent military gains against al-Qaida in Iraq and other militants as evidence that Iraq is now a relatively safe place.

But the U.S. military has warned that a massive return of refugees could rekindle sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites and that some returnees have found their Baghdad homes occupied by members of the other Muslim sect.

"In reality, the ministry cannot absorb a return on that (large) scale," Iraqi Migration Minister Abdul-Samad Rahman told a news conference. "If the influx is huge, then neither the ministry nor the entire government can handle it."

While the Iraqi government works to establish an effective method of resettlement for returning refugees, UNHCR has announced that it will provide over $11 million in aid for returning families

Announcing the $11.4 million relief package, Staffan De Mistura, the U.N. chief in Iraq, said the money would be spent on 5,000 vulnerable families, or about 30,000 people, returning to Iraq in response to declining violence.

The veteran Swedish diplomat said the program would include food baskets and other emergency kits. The money, he said, came from UNHCR and would supplement ongoing Iraqi government aid.

"It is not a massive return and the UNHCR is not encouraging a massive return due to the fragility of the (security) situation," De Mistura said. "At the same time, a flow is taking place and we need to show together that there is a proper response," he said.

Read the full story from the AP here.

Article Roundup

George Packer continues to conscientiously write about the travails of Iraqi refugees and has mentioned The List Project’s very own Kirk Johnson in a recent blog post:

A few evenings ago, my friend Kirk Johnson stopped by with a man I’ll call Ibrahim, an Iraqi in his early thirties who had arrived in the U.S. earlier this month. Ibrahim’s story keeps getting worse before it gets better.
Toward the end of last year, while working for an American contractor, Ibrahim received a death threat from a co-worker who belonged to the Mahdi Army, and he decided to flee the country. Iraqis are less and less welcome in the Arab world, so he chose a dangerous, though increasingly common, way out: he paid a Swedish-Iraqi smuggler six thousand dollars up front to get him into Stockholm, where a cousin lives.
On the phone, Ibrahim sounded furious, bewildered, despairing—and determined. “Is it possible, is it possible?” he said over the static-filled connection. “I used to be manager of a procurement office of USAID. I am nothing now, and why? Because I trusted the U.S. When you are a refugee, it’s a very terrible feeling. You feel nobody knows about you, nobody cares about you.”

Packer had indicated that he will continue Ibrahim's story on his blog so keep an eye out for that. Furthermore, in a recent spate of articles on Iraqi refugees and U.S. policy towards them, Slate has another article arguing that not only does the U.S. have a moral responsibility to admit thousands of Iraqi refugees into the country, but that robust resettlement will also aid America’s strategic interests:

As with the Palestinian problem, Iraq's refugees could generate numerous regional crises. Large refugee flows can overstrain the economies and even change the demographic makeup of small or weak states, upsetting what is already a delicate political balance. One million Iraqi refugees is a substantial addition to Jordan's population of less than 6 million.

Not only, this, but another interesting piece relates of growing class and economic tensions in Jordan due to the presence of Iraqi refugees:

Hostility towards them easily translates into a general dislike of all Iraqis in Jordan, regardless of whether they are wealthy or not. "I'll give you an example — if an Iraqi comes to my stall he won't ask the price, he'll just start filling his bag," says Mohammed Ro'ud, a greengrocer in Amman's Boukari street market. "This is why the prices of flats are also going up: they don't bargain, they just pay cash right away, and ordinary Jordanians can't afford to do that."

The article also states that while poor Iraqis also constitute part of the refugee population in Jordan, most poor refugees have settled in Syria where the economy is straining under the added weight of approximately 1.5 million Iraqi refugees. The Economist comments on the situation and also explains new Syrian regulations limiting refugee admittances:

The UNHCR has managed to register only 135,000 refugees, a fraction of those who have arrived. And they are still trickling in, despite new rules that have in effect closed the border. Only certain favoured categories of applicants, such as lorry drivers, businessmen, academics and engineers, are now being allowed in, with occasional exceptions for the sick.

Syria opens refugee clinics, insists refugees are temporary

Although Syria has closed its borders to Iraqi refugees, it remains host to the largest Iraqi population outside of Iraq itself. The Syrian government now finds itself in a difficult position: seeking to provide services for over a million people while trying to make it clear that it does not intend to become a permanent home for most of the refugees. Thus, we end up with the following stories:

The UNHCR is reporting that, in order to provide medical service to the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, the Syrian government has opened two clinics for refugees in Damascus. Meanwhile, Syria continues to insist it will do what it can to ensure that Iraqi refugees can eventually go home, while continuing to condemn the war itself.

The ability of the Syrian government to balance the pressures it faces will have a major impact on the lives of literally millions.

In Focus: Syria's closed border

The closure of the Syrian/Iraqi border earlier this month is a major development in the ongoing refugee crisis, the ramifications of which continue to ripple. Syria had long been the only place where many Iraqis could legally go to escape the violence in their home country. Now, with borders closed all around them and a high-tech wall going up on the Saudi side, for many if not most Iraqis, there is nowhere to run...

The New York Times offers this thorough report:

Syria Shuts Main Exit From War for Iraqis:
By THANASSIS CAMBANIS

...“The door is now closed to Iraqis in every direction,” said Sybella Wilkes, a spokeswoman here for the United Nations refugee agency. It is unclear whether Syria will enforce the rules for the Iraqis already in the country. United Nations officials believe Syria is likely to continue its practice of not deporting citizens of other Arab countries whose immigration status is illegal. Syria announced the new rules this summer and said they would take effect on Sept. 1. But it postponed their implementation and continued to accept refugees until Oct. 1. Under the old visa rules, Iraqis entered Syria without restriction and were allowed to remain for three months. Damascus has avoided any announcement about the policy since it took effect, leaving refugees and United Nations officials in a haze of uncertainty...

Read the complete article.

News Roundup: 10/24/07

Among desperate Iraqi refugees, prostitution a growing problem (From the International Herald Tribune): ...the problem is growing as thousands of Iraqis flee their homeland. Most troubling to some human rights groups is the possibility that ever-younger girls may turn to, or be pulled into, the sex trade, desperate to support families barely getting by...

Iraq refugees headed for Twin Falls, ID (From the Times-News): They fled their homeland because they helped the United States... A family of four Iraqis will arrive in Twin Falls from Jordan in the near future, but their exact arrival date is unknown... "It's like the army says, hurry up and wait," [College of Southern Idaho Refugee Service Center Director Ron Black] said.

Fire ravages UN refugee agency warehouses in Syria (UN News Centre): This story has been up for a few days, but is worth drawing attention to...

Commentary calls for international action on refugees

In The Guardian today, James Denselow discusses how options are narrowing for Iraqi refugees as Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and others close their borders, and calls on the West to do something before the situation reaches disastrous proportions:

Indeed, with the Saudis building the world's most hi-tech fence and joining the Kuwaitis and the Jordanians in attempting to hermetically seal their border, the ways out for Iraqis are narrowing by the day. What's more the imminent Turkish incursion into northern Iraq may trigger a new wave of refugees that may find themselves running into cul-de sacs of no-go areas, literally unable to seek refuge. The nature of the heavy weaponry that Turkey is preparing on its border with Iraq, including armour and artillery, could reveal the gilded statue that is the Kurdish regional government (KRG), as being based on a bed of political quicksand, and the relative security of the north of the country could become a thing of the past...

Instead of waiting for such an inevitable tragedy to occur, steps must be taken now to reinforce the UNHCR and affiliated bodies with financial and political capital. This will take pressure off the neighbouring host countries and make clear that the refugee issue is separate from the myriad of political disputes that are currently in lay. Continued inaction sees the walls of the Iraqi labyrinth shift ever closer on those most vulnerable and that must not be allowed to happen.

Read the rest here.

News: UNHCR urges Europe to take in Iraqi refugees

"BRUSSELS: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on Europe to accept more asylum seekers from conflict-torn Iraq. "Keeping the asylum door open in Europe is absolutely crucial in the present moment," Guterres said before a meeting in Brussels with EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini."

Read the complete story at the Daily Star.