ICMC commends the European Parliament resolutions adopted this past week:

1. Urging countries bordering Iraq to continue to admit Iraqi refugees;
2. Committing Europe to share in the response by resettling a number of those refugees who will clearly never be able to return to Iraq;
3. Urging EU Member States to swiftly and fairly determine the claims of Iraqi asylum-seekers;
4. Calling for a significant part of the EU budget earmarked for programs in Iraq to be allocated for these purposes.

There are at least 2 million Iraqi refugees currently in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and other countries neighbouring Iraq, and about 1.7 million displaced within Iraq, and yet another 50,000 leaving their homes each month. Over and above the widespread generalized violence, a recent report by the United Nations described the special persecution targeted at doctors, teachers, lawyers, judges and other professionals as well as ethnic and religious minorities which particularly include Palestinians and Christians in Iraq.

"We welcome the European Parliament resolutions as a first step towards a larger international commitment", notes Johan Ketelers, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission. "Whereas the humanitarian efforts to protect and assist the continuously growing number of Iraqis should include longer term perspectives, it is obvious that these cannot be offered without the further commitment of the international community. Security conditions in Iraq need to be improved dramatically and governments of neighbouring countries, international and national organizations and agencies active in these countries need to be strongly supported in their efforts. A saturation point has been reached and we believe that any further delay in massive support will result in further destabilisation of the region."

Today ICMC is the largest non-government provider of services to vulnerable Iraqis in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, in partnerships with local Caritas organizations in all three countries and also Terre des Hommes in Syria. While ICMC has been active in offering services to Iraqis for many years, it is expecting to double the number of people served to at least 20,000 this year. Together with its' partners, ICMC looks at the growing mass of people in need and assists vulnerable individuals; single mothers, unaccompanied elderly and children, the disabled and the chronically ill as well as children and women victims of violence. ICMC provides them with urgent humanitarian assistance, access to medical care; facilitates access to schools for refugee children and refers people to other available services.