Saturday, May 31, 2008

Iraq wants refugees to return home – PM

Baghdad, May 30, (VOI)- Iraq wants its refugees to return home and those who do can expect "privileges", Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said during a visit to Sweden on Friday.
"We hope that our children, especially the experts, who are obliged to emigrate, would return," he told reporters at a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
“He called on the Swedish companies to come and invest in Iraq, considering Iraq as “an open area for the Swedish investments,” according to a statement released by al-Maliki’s office and received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).
“The two officials discussed issues of common interest, including the Iraqi refugees issue in Sweden and means to bolster bilateral ties,” the statement added.
“In our constitution, there is no majorities and minorities and Iraqi Christians are part of this country and we are interested in the return of all refugees, including Christians after the security improvement,” the statement quoted al-Maliki as saying.
"We have statistics that say that tens of thousands of refugees wish to return. We welcome them, we will give them privileges," added Maliki the day after he co-hosted a large international conference on Iraq in Stockholm.
The Iraqi government has "a clear strategy" and has earmarked funds "so as to take the necessary preparations for a voluntary return" of refugees, he said.
In 2007, 18,559 Iraqis requested asylum in the Scandinavian country. In total some 100,000 Iraqis currently live in Sweden, making up the second-biggest foreign community behind Finns.
Aswat Aliraqi

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