The countries hosting Iraqi refugees on Thursday called for international financial assistance to relieve their economic and security burden.
Jordanian Interior Ministry Secretary-General Mukheimar Abu-Jamous appealed for financial aid from other countries to help the gorvernment provide basic services for the Iraqi refugees.
The refugee problem can only be solved if security and stability are restored in Iraq, Abu-Jamous said at a conference here on the Iraqi refugee problem.
He said the increasing number of Iraqis in Jordan poses a challenge to the security, economy and social security system of the country.
Mohammed al-Hajj al-Hmud, head of the Iraqi delegation, said the refugee problem has become a humanitarian disaster.
He called on participating countries to take action to prevent the problem worsening or becoming politicized.
The one-day meeting in Amman was also attended by Syria, Turkey, Iran, the United States, Japan, Russia, Britain, as well as the United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League.
Statistics from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that about 50,000 people flee Iraq every month, mostly to neighboring Jordan and Syria.
About 750,000 Iraqis are currently staying in Jordan, costing the government 1 billion U.S. dollars every year. Syria is hosting about 1 million Iraqis.
Source: Xinhua
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