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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/analysis/" rel="tag">Analysis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anbar/" rel="tag">Anbar</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/armed-groups/" rel="tag">Armed groups</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/badr-organisation/" rel="tag">Badr Organisation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bahrain/" rel="tag">Bahrain</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hizballah/" rel="tag">hizballah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran/" rel="tag">Iran</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/israel/" rel="tag">Israel</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jordan/" rel="tag">Jordan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/lebanon/" rel="tag">Lebanon</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/middle-east/" rel="tag">Middle East</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/militia/" rel="tag">Militia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/militias/" rel="tag">Militias</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nuri-al-maliki/" rel="tag">Nuri Al-Maliki</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reuters/" rel="tag">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saddam-hussein/" rel="tag">Saddam Hussein</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" rel="tag">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sectarian-violence/" rel="tag">sectarian violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-situation/" rel="tag">security situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/situation-in-iraq/" rel="tag">situation in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syrian-unrest-and-protests/" rel="tag">Syrian unrest and protests</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="text-align: left; unicode-bidi: bidi-override; direction: ltr"> <blockquote> <p>BAGHDAD, Sept 27 (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/analysis-iraqi-shiites-fear-fallout-of-syria-turbulence" target="_blank" class="external">Reuters</a>) – Iraqi Shi’ites, like their allies in Iran, fret that unrest in Syria could oust President Bashar al-Assad and bring to power hardline Sunnis eager to put their weight behind fellow-Sunnis in Iraq who have lost out since Saddam Hussein’s fall. </p> <p>They fear the turmoil next door could spill into Iraq, reignite sectarian violence and intensify a proxy battle between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the bastion of Sunni Islam and has never come to terms with Shi’ite rule in Baghdad. </p> <p>"If Syria falls, Iraq will work with Iran to influence events in Syria," said a senior Iraqi Shi’ite politician, who asked not to be named. </p> <p>"Change in Syria will cause major problems for Iraq. They (Sunnis) will incite the western (Sunni) part of Iraq." </p> <p>Iraqi Shi’ite militias are unlikely to fight for Assad’s survival, but might respond if Sunnis in Iraq’s western Anbar province were emboldened by the rise of Sunni power in Syria. </p> </blockquote></div> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/09/28/analysis-iraqi-shiites-fear-fallout-of-syria-turbulence-alertnet/#more-13747" class="more-link">» أقرأ التفاصيل .. | Read the rest of this entry »</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12741"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/03/15/syrian-archbishop-iraqi-refugees-renewed-our-church/#respond" title="Comment on Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 15th, 2011 by Mohammed Ibn Laith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/03/15/syrian-archbishop-iraqi-refugees-renewed-our-church/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church">Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/australia/" rel="tag">Australia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/canada/" rel="tag">Canada</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholic-church/" rel="tag">Catholic Church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholics/" rel="tag">Catholics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean/" rel="tag">chaldean</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chaldean-catholic-church/" rel="tag">chaldean catholic church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" rel="tag">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugees/" rel="tag">iraqi refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty/" rel="tag">Poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syrian-catholic-church/" rel="tag">syrian catholic church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/un/" rel="tag">U.N.</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="border-right: black 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: black 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: black 1px solid; width: 300px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: black 1px solid"> <p><strong>Letter of Maronite Archbishop Nassar of Damascus</strong></p> <p>DAMASCUS, Syria, MARCH 14, 2011 (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.zenit.org/" class="external" target="_blank">Zenit.org</a>).- Here is a translation of the letter written by Maronite Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus, titled "Thanks to the Iraqi Refugees." [Translation by ZENIT]</p> </p></div> <p>Syria has facilitated the reception of Iraqi refugees. Thousands of them have come, above all to Damascus, and hundreds of them continue to come to flee from death and the violence they have suffered since 2003. U.N. agencies organize their exodus to other more clement skies. While waiting for their visas, these refugees stay in Damascus, at times for two or three years and sometimes more.</p> <p>These well-formed Christians, fervent and practicing, take refuge in Christian faith and hope. They fill our churches, invigorate our parishes and reinforce the Christian faith in Syria, offering new encouragement to our parishes.</p> <p>Iraqi refugees take part assiduously in daily Mass despite the fact they come from far away, on foot or public transport.</p> <p>On asking for confession before receiving Communion, these refugees have accelerated the return to the confessional which now has waiting queues.</p> <p>Their devotion to the saints and veneration of the Virgin has relaunched the production of candles and the niches of the saints both within and outside the churches are illuminated day and night.</p> <p>Their children are numerous in the catechism and first Communion classes. Young people are involved in the choirs and liturgies of different churches.</p> <p>The war spread information technology rapidly in Iraq. These refugees who have arrived in Damascus are very familiar with the Internet and the Web. They have put their knowledge in a generous way at the service of parishes and communities. In this way, thanks to them, our parishes have been equipped with Web sites, vanguard instrument at the service of evangelization at a universal scale.</p> <p>Moved by profound piety, they come together in dozens, two or three times a week, to do the great cleaning of the cathedral and the Square of the Church until they receive their visas. Before traveling, they ensure the take over in this activity.</p> <p>They take part in prayer vigils, eucharistic adoration, pilgrimages and processions on the streets of Damascus during Holy Week and especially in the month of May. Their spiritual dynamism attracts other communities, one of our priests gives a helping hand in the Chaldean parish.</p> <p>Despite their poverty and precarious condition of life, they are generous and know how to share. Suffice it to see them as they leave Mass giving help with joy, a smile and tears.</p> <p>They live their more intimate moments in silence before the Most Blessed Sacrament, face-to-face with the Lord. For hours, they mourn the death of their loved ones and wonder about the future. And they try to understand the reason why.</p> <p>They arrive in great numbers at the archbishopric every week to say good-bye before traveling to the unknown, and at times separated: parents to Australia, children to Canada. Even in exile they cannot live as a family, an even more painful wrench.</p> <p>These Iraqi refugees passing though Damascus are itinerant missionaries who have left their imprint on the Church in Syria, which sees them pass by and wonders about its own future.</p> <p>The synod of Christians of the East was an opportunity and a hope which, however, has been unable to halt the exodus. These missionary refugees scattered in the four corners of the world are united only by prayer and the Internet, as their roots have been torn and they live the twilight of their Church. Will these Iraqi refugees, with their religious vitality, offer a new encouragement to the Churches of the East that receive them?</p> <p>[Translation by ZENIT]</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.zenit.org/article-32018?l=english" class="external" target="_blank">ZENIT – Syrian Archbishop: Iraqi Refugees Renewed Our Church</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12153"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d9%88%d8%b6%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a9%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%ab%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-850-%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa-%d9%85%d9%86/#comments" title="Comment on المفوضية السامية:اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي بين اللاجئين العراقيين في سوريا">4 Comments</a></span> Posted on January 8th, 2011 by Mohammed Ibn Laith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d9%88%d8%b6%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a9%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%ab%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-850-%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa-%d9%85%d9%86/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to المفوضية السامية:اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي بين اللاجئين العراقيين في سوريا">المفوضية السامية:اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي بين اللاجئين العراقيين في سوريا</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/women/" title="View all posts in Women and Children" rel="category tag">Women and Children</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-exploitation/" rel="tag">Child Exploitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children-domestic-assault/" rel="tag">Children - domestic assault</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/domestic-violence/" rel="tag">domestic violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/economic-and-sexual-exploitation/" rel="tag">economic and sexual exploitation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/forced-marriage/" rel="tag">forced marriage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/forced-prostitution/" rel="tag">forced prostitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-trafficking/" rel="tag">Human Trafficking</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/juvenile-marriage/" rel="tag">Juvenile marriage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prostitution/" rel="tag">Prostitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rape/" rel="tag">Rape</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rape-sex/" rel="tag">rape sex</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sex-trafficking/" rel="tag">sex trafficking</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sexual-abuse/" rel="tag">sexual abuse</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sexual-assault/" rel="tag">Sexual Assault</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sexual-assaults/" rel="tag">sexual assaults</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr-protection-and-assistance-centres/" rel="tag">UNHCR Protection and Assistance Centres</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-domestic-assault/" rel="tag">Women - domestic assault</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>دمشق (الاخبارية)..كشف مكتب المفوضية السامية لشؤون اللاجئين في سوريا،انه تم تحديد اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي والعنف القائم على نوع الجنس بين اللاجئين العراقيين الموجودين هناك. <br/>وقال مصدر مسؤول في المكتب بتصريح لمراسل (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.ikhnews.com/news_view_6546.html" target="_blank" class="external">الوكالة الاخبارية للانباء</a>) اليوم،ان هذه الحالات شهدت تناقصاً خلال عام 2008 حيث بلغت 700 حالة في حين ازدادت خلال عام 2009 حيث بلغت 900 حالة. <br/>وبين ان من الاشكال الشائعة لهذا النوع من العنف،الاغتصاب،والبغاء الاجباري،والاتجار بالاشخاص،والزواج القسري،والاستغلال الاقتصادي والجنسي،والعنف الاسري. <br/>وتابع ان المفوضية مستمرة بتقديم الدعم للاجئين،والعمل على منع هذه الحالات عبر التدريب ورفع مستوى الوعي،مشيراً الى ان المفوضية وفرت مركزاً امناً في دمشق،يؤمن المأوى والطعام والاستشارة الاجتماعية والتدريب المهني والخدمات القانونية والطبية للنساء والاطفال الذين عانوا من العنف،لافتاً الى انشاء مركز تنمية المراة،بالتعاون مع الاتحاد العام النسائي في سورية،بغية تمكين الناجيات من حالات العنف الجنسي والعنف القائم على نوع الجنس،من خلال التدريب وجلسات الاستشارة وتنمية الدعم المجتمعي./انتهى/(5. ر.م) <strong>المصدر : </strong>  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.ikhnews.com/news_view_6546.html" target="_blank" class="external">المفوضية السامية:اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي بين اللاجئين العراقيين في سوريا</a></p> </p></div> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12031"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/28/iraqi-refugees-interpreting-the-statistics/#respond" title="Comment on Iraqi refugees – interpreting the statistics">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 28th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/28/iraqi-refugees-interpreting-the-statistics/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraqi refugees – interpreting the statistics">Iraqi refugees – interpreting the statistics</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/human-rights/" title="View all posts in Human Rights" rel="category tag">Human Rights</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/brookings-institution/" rel="tag">Brookings Institution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food/" rel="tag">food</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/host-governments/" rel="tag">host governments</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/idps-internal-refugees/" rel="tag">IDPs (Internal Refugees)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/international-organization-for-migration/" rel="tag">international organization for migration</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugee/" rel="tag">iraqi refugee</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugees/" rel="tag">iraqi refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irin/" rel="tag">IRIN</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jordan/" rel="tag">Jordan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/middle-east/" rel="tag">Middle East</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/migrants/" rel="tag">migrants</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/migration/" rel="tag">migration</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/population-mobility/" rel="tag">population mobility</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugee-agency/" rel="tag">refugee agency</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugee-population/" rel="tag">refugee population</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees-international/" rel="tag">Refugees International</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/repatriation/" rel="tag">repatriation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/returned-refugees/" rel="tag">Returned Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/returnees/" rel="tag">returnees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sectarian-violence/" rel="tag">sectarian violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-situation/" rel="tag">security situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/situation-in-iraq/" rel="tag">situation in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/statistics/" rel="tag">statistics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/world-food-programme/" rel="tag">World Food Programme</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>DAMASCUS, 28 December 2010 (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91464" class="external" target="_blank">IRIN</a>) – Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis fled the country after sectarian violence broke out following the 2003 war which toppled Saddam Hussein. However, the precise number of refugees is hard to ascertain and fluctuates in line with changing perceptions and the security situation in Iraq. </p> <p>"It would be nice to have the full picture, but the special circumstances of the Iraqi refugee population means we don’t… although we have a good idea of the refugees registered with us," said Andrew Harper, head of the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) Iraq Support Unit in Geneva. </p> <p>Host governments (largely in the Middle East) at one time estimated that more than 2.5 million Iraqis had fled to their countries. But that statistic is now too high, say independent experts not affiliated with UNHCR. Distinguishing between refugees and other migrants, and deducting the number of those who have returned to Iraq for good can be difficult. </p> <p>UNHCR has registered just over 400,000 Iraqis since 2003 but currently they have 200,000 on their books. More refugees register every day – some 2,000 per month in Syria. However, the agency says those figures are not definitive. </p> <p>"Many refugees choose not to register with us, either because there is a stigma attached in asking for assistance or they see no reason to register unless they need our services," said Harper. </p> <p>Currently, host governments claim some 1.5 million Iraqis remain on their territories, while Refugees International, a US-based NGO, said it believed only 500,000 Iraqis remained outside the country. </p> <h3>Reasons for discrepancies </h3> <p>The Iraqi refugees are hard to track because they reside almost exclusively in an urban rather than a camp setting, predominantly in Syria and Jordan. In July last year, a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.unhcr.org/4a69ad639.pdf#zoom=66" class="external" target="_blank">UNHCR report detailed the challenges</a>. </p> <p>Population mobility is another factor, according to Harper. Many families are split or commute between Syria and Iraq to see relatives, work, or are checking the situation on the ground. </p> <p>In such a situation, they are harder to count, or may have their files deactivated by UNHCR if they are absent for long periods. UNHCR says mobility is positive as it allows refugees to stay in touch with their country and prepare for an eventual return. </p> <h3>Bald statistics can be misleading </h3> <p>Bald statistics, without a breakdown, can be misleading due to the high rates of movement. Over the past few months, a fairly consistent number of refugees have been registered in Syria – currently some 139,586 – but this figure masks the fact that each month some refugees leave and others register. Some 32,200 files were deactivated in the first 10 months of 2010, 5,408 people were resettled elsewhere, 176 returned to Iraq under the UNHCR voluntary repatriation scheme, and some 18,719 registered in the same time period, UNHCR says. </p> <p>Statistical methods are also variable. "Many Iraqi refugees fled before the war," said Elizabeth Ferris, a senior fellow and Iraq expert at the Brookings Institution. "There is no agreement as to which time period to count people in." </p> <h3>Challenges </h3> <p>Uncertainty over figures has posed challenges for aid agencies, but UNHCR says it bases its planning for staff and budget on the number of refugees it has registered. </p> <p>Predicting trends can also be difficult, say experts. UNHCR has resettled more than 50,000 refugees, mostly in the USA, and assisted more than 2,000 to return to Iraq. But an unknown number is likely to have returned independently. </p> <p>Within Iraq, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) registers returned refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). It says some 130,000 refugees have returned since 2007. </p> <p>"Agencies have got used to working with imprecise figures," said Ferris, "but it is not good practice to develop programmes on this basis." </p> <p>UNHCR contests this argument. "We have precise information regarding the registered refugees and base our programmes on their needs. This information is regularly updated," said Wafa Amr, UNHCR’s regional spokesperson. </p> <p>Agencies have come up with novel techniques to meet the challenges. UNHCR has more than 150 outreach workers in Syria alone who visit neighbourhoods to identify refugees. Publications are used to raise awareness of the plight of the refugees. To maintain the dignity of refugees and overcome challenges posed by refugees living in an urban setting, UNHCR has made cash payments available via an ATM. UNHCR uses SMS text messages to alert refugees, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) recently rolled out an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90560" class="external" target="_blank">SMS food voucher scheme</a>. </p> <h3>IDPs </h3> <p>Despite the uncertainty, no new assessment of the Iraqi refugees is due. "There is a fear the numbers would come in lower and this would have an impact on governments such as Syria and Jordan as it may affect the amount of financing channelled to them," said Ferris. </p> <p>More is known about IDPs, as the Iraqi authorities are better able to track them. UNHCR, Refugees International and Brookings agree on a figure of 1.5 million, 500,000 of whom live in slums. Of the returnees registered with the IOM, 86 percent are IDPs but overall numbers of returnees are said to be low. </p> <p>"Our main concern is that a very substantial number of Iraqis needing assistance are going to remain in 2011 and probably longer," said Amr. </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91464" class="external" target="_blank">IRIN Middle East | MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi refugees – interpreting the statistics | Iraq | Syria | Conflict | Refugees/IDPs</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11935"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/13/syria-iraqi-refugees-face-painful-wait-for-artificial-limbs/#respond" title="Comment on SYRIA: Iraqi refugees face painful wait for artificial limbs">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 13th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/13/syria-iraqi-refugees-face-painful-wait-for-artificial-limbs/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to SYRIA: Iraqi refugees face painful wait for artificial limbs">SYRIA: Iraqi refugees face painful wait for artificial limbs</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/children/" title="View all posts in Children" rel="category tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/features/" title="View all posts in Features" rel="category tag">Features</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/birth-defects/" rel="tag">birth defects</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chemical-weapons/" rel="tag">chemical weapons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/domestic-violence/" rel="tag">domestic violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/handicapped-people/" rel="tag">handicapped people</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irin/" rel="tag">IRIN</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/photos/" rel="tag">Photos</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prosthetics/" rel="tag">prosthetics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prosthetics-workshops/" rel="tag">prosthetics workshops</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/terre-des-hommes/" rel="tag">Terre Des Hommes</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/who/" rel="tag">WHO</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p><a title="20101213_captioned_refugees_wait_prosthetics_captioned by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/5257866283/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 2px 10px 5px" height="540" alt="20101213_captioned_refugees_wait_prosthetics_captioned" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811im_/http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5257866283_3032ae563a_o.jpg" width="300" align="right"/></a>DAMASCUS, 13 December 2010 (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91360" class="external" target="_blank">IRIN</a>) – Mohammed*, 38, whose right leg is severed above the knee, is one of many Iraqi refugees waiting for prosthetics at the Syrian branch of charity Terre des hommes (Tdh) orthopedic workshop. </p> <p>Nine years ago, Mohammed, a Sunni Muslim, marry his Shia wife. Both were schoolteachers and had three daughters. </p> <p>But after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq triggered sectarian violence, Mohammed says he was threatened by the Mahdi Army for living in a Shia neighbourhood. </p> <p>In 2006 the militia kidnapped him for ransom. They hung him by chains and tortured him. They also sliced up his right leg with a power drill, he says, and amputated the gangrened limb soon after. </p> <p>Finally freed from captivity during a US military operation, Mohammed testified against his torturers, and then packed up his family and belongings to leave for Damascus. </p> <p>Mohammed now waits for surgery to straighten his twisted right femur bone. Only then can he discard his cumbersome crutches and apply for a fitted prosthetic. </p> <p>Barred from work and solely reliant on the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for food rations and a monthly living stipend, his family waits to be resettled in a third country. </p> <p>Mohammed says UNHCR recommended he and his introverted older daughter receive counselling for depression. He admits to taking out his anger by beating his wife and children, and that he has considered divorce. </p> <p>In the stone courtyard of Tdh, Mohammed’s story is not uncommon among the mostly Iraqi patients, mauled by the violence of car bombs, unexploded ordnance, torture or chemical warfare. </p> <p>"Our work is 50 percent technical and 50 percent psychological," explains the orthopedic specialist, Khaled Zaynoun. "It’s important to create a special rapport with the patient." </p> <p>There are currently 153,000 Iraqis registered with UNHCR in Syria, out of a total of more than 290,000 since 2003. Off the books, an estimated 1.5 million Iraqis sought shelter in Syria during the height of the conflict. </p> <p>Tdh is overwhelmed. Only a handful of prosthetic production facilities exists in Syria, and the charity is entirely reliant on private donors. It has created an estimated 480 prosthetics and has grants approved for another 35. Zaynoun says he has about 150 disabled refugees, mostly children, still waiting for treatment and the finances for it. </p> <p>"Each case is quite unique, and we try to provide a tailor-made solution for each patient using materials largely imported from Europe," Zaynoun says. </p> <p>"High-end electronic prosthetic limbs can cost between 5,000 [US$6,608] Euros and E20,000 [$26,432]," he says. "The ones we make here cost about E2,000 [$2,643]. They are pretty basic but they allow people to walk and function." </p> <p><strong>Birth defects</strong> </p> <p>Four-year-old Hiba Sabah was born with a genetic defect: both legs are stunted above the knee. Her father Fadi says he and his wife Rana were caught in the middle of heavy fighting in their Baghdad neighbourhood after the US military invasion. </p> <p>When the family finally fled to Syria in 2005, Rana was seven months pregnant with Hiba. The doctors in the Damascus hospital where she was born attributed her deformity to chemical warfare. </p> <p>"Hiba is having a very hard time in school," Fadi says. "During the breaks the kids go out to play but she cannot. She feels left out since she has to stay in the classroom." </p> <p>In October, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Iraqi government announced an ongoing investigation into birth defects across Iraq, after widespread media reports highlighted an alarming rate of deformities caused by radiation and chemical weapons in Fallujah. </p> <p>At the Tdh centre, Hiba dons a pair of prosthetic legs custom-made for her, and awkwardly practises walking across the courtyard. </p> <p>"In the beginning patients feel a lot of pain," explains Zaynoun. "There is a long period of getting used to the prosthetic on a psychological level rather than a physical level, which is fairly straight forward. They need to learn to live with it, and then force other people to treat them fairly. It’s not easy." </p> <p>He acknowledges these expensive limbs come at a price for children like Hiba. "The problem is at her age, she keeps growing." </p> <p>"We rely on private donors but they are not predictable," says her father. He adds that the family receives no additional assistance. "I regret starting this whole process, I don’t know how to replace them." </p> <p>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=91360" class="external" target="_blank">IRIN Middle East | SYRIA: Iraqi refugees face painful wait for artificial limbs | Syria | Refugees/IDPs</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11425"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/07/syria-iraqi-refugee-children-dropping-out-of-school/#respond" title="Comment on SYRIA: Iraqi refugee children dropping out of school">No Comments</a></span> Posted on September 7th, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/07/syria-iraqi-refugee-children-dropping-out-of-school/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to SYRIA: Iraqi refugee children dropping out of school">SYRIA: Iraqi refugee children dropping out of school</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/children/" title="View all posts in Children" rel="category tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/women/" title="View all posts in Women and Children" rel="category tag">Women and Children</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-poverty/" rel="tag">Child Poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees-international/" rel="tag">Refugees International</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/remittances/" rel="tag">remittances</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resettlement/" rel="tag">resettlement</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sectarian-violence/" rel="tag">sectarian violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unicef/" rel="tag">UNICEF</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>DAMASCUS, 7 September 2010 (<a title="IRIN" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90412" class="external" target="_blank">IRIN</a>) – Iraqi refugee children in Syria are struggling to keep up at school, or are dropping out to seek paid work, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). <br/>“Education is absolutely central to the future of all children. Having a generation not equipped to participate in the economy of their country serves no one,” said Sherazade Boualia, UNICEF head in Syria. </p> <p>Syria, which took in up to 1.2 million of the two million refugees who fled sectarian violence in the wake of the 2003 war in Iraq, opened its public education system to the refugees, but many are unable to benefit. </p> <p>Children often <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87418" class="external" target="_blank">work</a> to bring in extra income for their families. Iraqis are not legally allowed to work in Syria and black market jobs often pay just 100 SYP (US$2) per day, according to the refugees. </p> <p>Hussein Ali, 16, said he had to drop out of school to earn money cleaning in a hotel. “We are very grateful for the cash assistance from the UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency],” said Mr Ali, his father, who has a disability which prevents him from working. “But it is not enough.” </p> <p>Others have to travel too far to get to a school with available places, or cannot afford the nominal fees. “Most of the Iraqi refugee population is concentrated in and around Damascus where schools’ capacity is already stretched,” said Boualia. </p> <p>The refugees’ plight is getting worse as remittances are drying up and savings running out, said US NGO Refugees International. </p> <p>Over the last three years the number of Iraqi refugee children dropping out of school has risen steadily, according to UNICEF. </p> <p>Government figures indicate that 49,132 Iraqi refugees were enrolled in the 2007-2008 school year, but this dropped to 32,425 in 2008-2009. Refugees International said the number had dropped further this year, with 30 percent fewer children enrolled. </p> <p>"The decline is linked to families experiencing more financial stress as well as resettlement to third countries and returns to Iraq," said Boualia. </p> <p>Anecdotal evidence suggests most of those dropping out are male, with families keeping girls in school. </p> <p>Teachers say Iraqi children are falling behind at school due to emotional problems, gaps in their education, or difficulties adjusting to their new situation in Syria. </p> <h3>Action </h3> </p> <p>In coordination with the Syrian government, UNICEF is attempting to tackle the problem with a US$6 million project, which includes improving facilities at schools with a high proportion of refugees, remedial classes for children who have fallen behind, and vocational evening classes for those working. </p> <p>UNICEF is also training teachers in the psycho-social needs of Iraqis which may be preventing them from concentrating. “The majority of Iraqis have at least one family member that suffers from extreme depression," said Elizabeth Campbell, senior official at Refugees International. Many of those are children. UNHCR says 150 Iraqis are referred for counselling every month. </p> <p>Refugee registration data shows most Iraqi refugee adults living in Syria are educated and value education for their children. But experts say solutions must be found or children will continue to drop out of school. </p> <p>“The needs of the whole family must be met to ensure children attend school,” said Campbell. </p> <p>Experts say providing families with financial assistance contingent upon their children enrolling in school, or providing hot meals at schools, might be one way forward.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90412" class="external" target="_blank">IRIN Middle East | SYRIA: Iraqi refugee children dropping out of school | Middle East | Syria | Children Education Refugees/IDPs | Feature</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11015"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/11/turkey-muddies-the-water/#respond" title="Comment on Turkey muddies the water">No Comments</a></span> Posted on June 11th, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/11/turkey-muddies-the-water/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Turkey muddies the water">Turkey muddies the water</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-ahram/" rel="tag">Al-Ahram</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arab-economic-development/" rel="tag">arab economic development</a>, <a 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dams</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/neighbouring-states/" rel="tag">neighbouring states</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northeastern-syria/" rel="tag">northeastern syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rate-of-flow/" rel="tag">rate of flow</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources-ministry/" rel="tag">resources ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/river-water/" rel="tag">river water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris/" rel="tag">Tigris</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tigris-and-euphrates-rivers/" rel="tag">tigris and euphrates rivers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis-iraq/" rel="tag">Water Crisis (Iraq)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-flow/" rel="tag">water flow</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-issue/" rel="tag">water issue</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-resources/" rel="tag">water resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treaty/" rel="tag">Water Treaty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-treaty-negotiations/" rel="tag">Water Treaty negotiations</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p> </p> <blockquote><p>Syria’s plan to divert the waters of the Tigris portends a long and bitter quarrel with Iraq, reports <b>Bassel Oudat</b> from Damascus </p> <hr noshade="noshade"/> <p>Last year’s severe drought in northeastern Syria dried up the Khabur River which is the lifeline in that region, causing some 500,000 Syrians to migrate to other areas inside Syria. In response, the government signed a deal with the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development to begin a project on the Tigris close to the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi border, diverting enough water to fertilise 200,000 hectares.</p> <p>Baghdad was infuriated by the project and called Damascus to an "emergency meeting" to clarify the details of the "surprise plan" which would divert river water over long distances inside Syrian territories. Iraq’s Water Resources Ministry stated that any diverted water will affect Iraq’s already meagre water quota, which would negatively influence local agriculture and the economy. Iraqi officials also predicted that the plan will jeopardise already worsening relations between the two neighbouring states.</p> <p>Syria has not responded to Iraq’s invitation. Informed Syrian sources asserted that the project was conceived decades ago, and not a new concept at all, as the Iraqis are claiming. In fact, it is an indicator of warming relations between Syria and Turkey, because Ankara gave Damascus the green light to go ahead and begin the project.</p> <p>The plan is indeed old, but was delayed because previous governments in Turkey refused to sign any agreement to share water with Syria and Iraq. With encouragement from abroad, Ankara was fooled into believing that it would be stronger and have more leverage by controlling the water flow.</p> <p>Syria and Iraq have fought over water resources in the past. In the 1980s, it threatened to ignite a war. Eventually the quarrel came to include Turkey, especially after Ankara began building large dams on the Euphrates and Tigris. So far, no three-way agreement has been reached because Turkey refuses to share the water with Syria and Iraq.</p> <p>The heart of the problem lies in differences of interpretation of Syria and Iraq on the one hand, and Turkey on the other. Turkey believes the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey and pass through Syria and Iraq, to be "marginally cross-border rivers" because they barely pass inside the borders of Syria and Iraq. But Syria and Iraq consider them major international water bodies which should be evenly divided among everyone.</p> <p>When the regimes in Damascus and Baghdad fell out in the 1970-80s, this negatively affected their rights to the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris and a number of smaller rivers, because they refused to sit together or with the Turkish side. Ankara used Syrian- Iraqi tensions to exercise control over the waters of the rivers and keep a much larger share than stipulated in international water agreements for itself. It constructed massive dams on the rivers, using their waters in agricultural and industrial projects along their banks. It cut down the amount of water going to each country, and refused to recognise that the two rivers were international waterways but rather local Turkish rivers which happen to pass through Syria and Iraq on their way to the Arab shore, south of Basra in Iraq.</p> <p>In 1974, Turkey began the Southeastern Anatolian (GAP) project which consists of 21 dams, 17 of which on the Euphrates including Ataturk Dam and four others on the River Tigris. It also included 19 power stations and 47 water reservoirs, and a variety of other projects in the fields of agriculture, industry, transportation, irrigation and communication. Ankara earmarked $32 billion for the project and received a large part of the budget from international funding in the form of loans and grants, especially from the US, Canada, Israel and France.</p> <p>In 1987, Syria and Iraq tried to gain some recognition over the waters of the two rivers, but it was too late. Turkey refused to negotiate with them as one party and dealt with each side separately, taking a disproportionate amount for itself. Damascus and Baghdad could do nothing, especially in light of the fact that Ankara continued its plans to construct dams and was able to cut off the flow of the river altogether to both neighbours.</p> <p>In 1989, Syria and Iraq agreed to divide the quota of the Euphrates River given to them, whereby Syria’s share amounted to 42 per cent and 52 per cent went to Iraq. Later, in 2000, the two sides agreed that Syria should receive a share of the Tigris water (which flows 50km inside its border), enough to irrigate almost 200,000 hectares of land.</p> <p>In the end, sharing the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris became a capricious matter, not relying on clear and precise agreements based on international law. Turkey’s whims dictate quotas with no base in international law. In 2007, a three-way meeting failed to result in a comprehensive agreement on the issue because Turkey refused to change the status quo and wanted to make it a de facto arrangement.</p> <p>Syria’s project to divert Tigris water, which it started publicly planning at the beginning of this year, has antagonised the Iraqis to an unexpected degree, and Baghdad’s reaction came as a surprise to Damascus. This is especially true since there is a preliminary agreement regarding this issue with the previous regime in Iraq, which Iraqis today consider invalid. The Syrians counter that the agreement was concluded with a legitimate Iraqi government and not one person per se, and it is illogical to annul agreements between countries every time the regime changes.</p> <p>Syrian political circles feel that Iraq’s reasoning is another attempt by Iraq’s government to raise tensions between the two countries, and manipulate this domestically now that Iraq is about to form a new government.</p> <p>Relations between the two neighbours have not been at their best for almost one year, after Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki accused Syria of hosting and assisting Al-Baath Party elements who support the ousted regime in Baghdad. Iraq claims these elements are behind a number of attacks in Baghdad which have killed hundreds of Iraqis. These accusations also came as a surprise for the Syrians who said they have tried their utmost in the past few years to prevent fighters from going into Iraq by more vigilant control of the border. At the same time, Syria is home to 1.5 million Iraqi refugees and says it has cooperated with Iraqi authorities.</p> <p>Syrian officials believe that Iraq’s objections to the Tigris project are not a result of Iraqi concerns over water but have other political goals to do with domestic Iraqi politics, power struggles among Iraqi factions, and complications in forming Iraq’s new cabinet.</p> <p>No doubt, the quarrel between Syria and Iraq over the past decades has allowed Turkey to do as it pleases with the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris. Today, closer ties between Damascus and Ankara — which could almost be described as a strategic alliance — are still not enough to convince Turkey to admit that these are international rivers, and it continues to control them unilaterally.</p> <p>Observers believe that rising political friction between Syria and Iraq, their distraction with secondary issues over more important ones, and their lax positions towards Turkey on the water issue and other matters have not only caused tension, but resulted in immense strategic losses for both parties. </p> <p>They will have to look beyond this current spat and focus on the real problem — resolving the quota issue with Turkey.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1002/re85.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Turkey muddies the water</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-10285"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/03/asharq-al-awsat-talks-hoshyar-zebari/#respond" title="Comment on Asharq Al-Awsat Talks Hoshyar Zebari">No Comments</a></span> Posted on May 3rd, 2010 by Um Thalit</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/03/asharq-al-awsat-talks-hoshyar-zebari/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Asharq Al-Awsat Talks Hoshyar Zebari">Asharq Al-Awsat Talks Hoshyar Zebari</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ambassadors/" rel="tag">Ambassadors</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arab-countries/" 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/masud-barzani/" rel="tag">Masud Barzani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/political-situation/" rel="tag">political situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-minorities/" rel="tag">Religious minorities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saddam-hussein/" rel="tag">Saddam Hussein</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sanctions/" rel="tag">Sanctions</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi/" rel="tag">Saudi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" rel="tag">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-situation/" rel="tag">security situation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/universities/" rel="tag">Universities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/xe/" rel="tag">Xe</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/zebari-hoshyar/" rel="tag">Zebari - Hoshyar</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>London, <a title="Asharq Al-Awsat" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=20813" class="external" target="_blank">Asharq Al-Awsat</a>- Since the change of the Iraqi regime in 2003, four governments have succeeded each other in administering Iraq ranging between the government of Paul Bremer, US civil Administrator, and interim, and permanent governments. The Kurdish politician Hoshyar Zebari – leading member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party [KDP] led by Masud Barzani -has been a foreign minister in all these governments. In fact he was the first foreign minister after the end of the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and he still is while the prime ministers and other ministers have been changed.</p> <p>On the basis of this, Zebari has shouldered all the burdens, difficulties, and complications of the new construction of one of the most important ministries of the government, the Foreign Ministry, and he has become the most prominent engineer of the Iraqi foreign policy. Perhaps one of the most complex issues is being the first Iraqi foreign minister from the Kurdish nation, which constitutes the second national group in Iraq, and all these years he has had to sit down and confer with his Arab opposite numbers, who, according to his expression, have forged distinguished links with him.</p> <p>During his private visit to London, Zebari gave Asharq Al-Awsat exclusively an expanded and comprehensive interview about his work experience at the Foreign Ministry in which he explains the difficulties facing the Iraqi foreign policy. Today, Zebari is on the verge of leaving his post as the term of the government ends, and he is a member of the upcoming Iraqi Parliament for the Kurdistan Alliance, and of the committee stemming from the alliance for dialog with the other political blocs about the formation of the new government.</p> <p>The following is the text of the interview:</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] At the end of the term of the Government, what is your assessment of Iraqi foreign policy?</p> <p>[Zebari] I am greatly honored to have served in this post in four consecutive governments. This is a record achieved under the most difficult circumstances through which Iraq has gone. I take pride in my service during this period in which we have tried to serve our country. Our record testifies to the achievements and accomplishments we have made. The state was in ruins when we took over in September 2003 during the period of the Government Council; and the Foreign Ministry consisted of some isolated, besieged, burned, and ruined embassies. Thus, praise be to God, we have been able, through collective efforts and not individual ones, to rebuild and restore the ministry. This has been achieved as a result of us working on the basis of the principle of national reconciliation.</p> <p>We have been the first ministry to apply this principle. When we took over the ministry it included 1,200 employees ranging between diplomats and administrative officials, and supplemented them from among former members of the intelligence and the Baathists. We have dismissed more than 550 employees, because the Foreign Ministry under the previous regime was one of the security ministries, and was a closed shop for the Baath Party. We have kept the professional diplomats and administrators, and in practice they have proved their high level of efficiency and national sense. This is why we have been accused, while our aim was, and still is, to keep the wheel of work turning.</p> <p>It is true that when we took over the ministry we had the experience of working abroad, and of the foreign relations of the KDP, but the partisan work, or work in the opposition remains different from official work, the ministry, and work in the state. However, we utilized our previous relations for the benefit of our work in the Foreign Ministry.</p> <p>Moreover, we opened the work in the Foreign Ministry for all, and not only for the elite, the sons of the wealthy or upper-class families, and officials. Two years after we started work, we advertised in the media a training course for diplomatic work, and any Iraqi who satisfied the conditions was able to work in the ministry. We have accepted the highest grade graduates of the Iraqi universities. Also the issue in which I personally take pride is our interest in training and qualifying the cadres of diplomatic work.</p> <p>Moreover, the number of the employees of our ministry is the lowest among the Iraqi ministries compared to its services and importance, as there are less than 2,000 diplomats and administrators in the Foreign Ministry, which is a very small number. We have sent most of them, more then 1,200 employees, to training courses in diplomatic and language training abroad, which is something that is admired by our Arab counterparts. We also changed the culture of work in the Ministry, which used to be characterized by domination, militarism, and centralization, and the employee used to stand before the official as if he was his servant or slave; we have removed all these barriers. I am entitled to take pride in this issue.</p> <p>It is well known that Iraq is a big and old country in international politics. It is one of the founders of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Thus, we have decided to make the diplomatic representation extensive, or at least acceptable; now there are more than 83 diplomatic missions around the world, 67 embassies, and 16 consulates. Therefore, I can say that the upcoming Iraqi Government will take over a developed institution. Add to this that we have ratified the Foreign Service law, which is at the level of the international laws in this field.</p> <p>Despite all the suspicions and distortion that accompanied the work of the ministry, such as claiming that it is a Kurdish ministry and similar things, I do not say that our ministry is an ideal one that is devoid of administrative or financial corruption, but I say that compared to other ministries, the Foreign Ministry is one of the cleanest and most impartial ministries from the point of view of the good reports of the auditing departments and the Commission on Public Integrity.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are accusations leveled at Iraqi foreign policy because of the bad relations between Iraq and some regional countries?</p> <p>[Zebari] Iraq was isolated, punished, and marginalized in all Arab and international forums. However, with great efforts we have been able to restore it to its important status, and we broke the isolation ring. To be frank and explicit, this has not taken place only as a result of our efforts, but also with the help and support of our allies in the US and UK Administrations, which liberated Iraq from dictatorship.</p> <p>The work of the Foreign Ministry is a reflection of the domestic policy of the country and its stances; if there is no united stance or a united domestic policy coupled with strong will, there will be no success in the foreign policy however relentless the efforts might be, because the foreign policy will reflect what is taking place domestically. [The same applies] if there is reconstruction, the security situation is solid, the economic situation is good, and the national unity is strong.</p> <p>I admit that one of the problems in which we failed is that we have not been able to play any role in the Arab forums. We have not been able to fulfill our commitments to the issues of destiny, such as the Palestinian issue, supporting the Palestinian Authority, or supporting the regional or international issues to which Iraq was contributing. We have inherited a huge legacy of international sanctions, effects of siege, fragile relations, and problems of water and borders with nearly all the neighboring countries. This is what we have been focusing on, and that is what any government ought to focus on, try to close all these dossiers, and rectify its relations.</p> <p>In the midst of this hysterical and difficult political situation, we have been able to progress with our work, and to reflect a positive image of the situation and work of the government. The Foreign Ministry does not make the policy, but it implements it; our policy exists in the Constitution, and in the government decisions and viewpoint, because the government is the one that determines Iraq’s foreign policy. One of the problems which we faced at the level of our foreign operations is the multiplicity of the sources of media statements and stances given by MP’s, advisers, and others. In many cases we receive instructions, but we act according to the interest of the country; thus we have adopted some stances that the others understood.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Was your stance at the last Arab summit in Libya one of these policies?</p> <p>[Zebari] At the last summit, and other summits, we acted according to our relations, and as representatives of the Iraqi Government. The other sides relied on what we said and not on the statement of this MP, or that adviser or politician.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do the Arab officials receive you as a Kurd in your capacity as foreign minister of Iraq?</p> <p>[Zebari] In the beginning it was a surprise and a strange and odd thing. I remember that I attended my first meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Arab League in September 2003. The Arab foreign ministers, in jest, said: Let us have fun at his (broken) Arabic. After I talked and delivered speeches, they said: We were wrong, because your Arabic is better than ours. This is a real experience. We behave as a national Iraqi official, and not as a Kurd, and we defend Iraq and the interests of Iraq. Now they have got used to us. At the Arab summit in Sirte (Libya) they said: We have become used to you. I said: This is politics, and we have a diplomatic system; today I am here, and tomorrow there is someone else. I have had excellent relations with my Arab counterparts, and achieved good relations with the Arab officials and leaders, and with the Arab League.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you explain the delay of some Arab countries in opening their embassies in Baghdad?</p> <p>[Zebari] The fact is this subject has been exaggerated, and politicized by some Iraqi political sides. They say that Iraq is distant from its Arab and Islamic environment; this is political one-upmanship. When an Iraqi politician meets an Arab leader, does this mean that he is close to that leader and we cannot do the same? For instance, I can meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak or any other Arab official any day. We tolerate the fact that Iraqi politicians meet Arab leaders outside the government framework; have we had a strong government, it would not have allowed to hold such meetings. This is not supposed to occur. I remember once that the leader of the British Conservative Party met Clinton or Bush in Washington, and there was a commotion that raised Cain in London, because it was considered defiance. Unfortunately, our leaders or politicians are complacent about this issue, and hence they lose their value.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you explain the bad relations between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and some Arab countries, such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, and others?</p> <p>[Zebari] The prime minister is not responsible for these stances. Perhaps I have many issues related to work over which I disagree with the prime minister, but over this issue we have to be realistic. If there is a country or a side that wants to harm Iraq, we must not kiss their hands; this is inadmissible. Today, for instance, there are public activities by Muhammad Yunus al-Ahmad – leading member of the Iraqi Baath Party – in Damascus. We have asked the Syrians about him, and we told them that he was active against Iraq; they said: We do not know him at all. Now, here he is. What is his program or aims? Are his programs and aims related to participating in government, or developing the political process in Iraq? Definitely not, because he (Al-Ahmad) wants to destroy and blow up everything. There are some issues on which we have to draw the line. For instance, with regard to the relations with Saudi Arabia, the Saudi brethren are the ones who opened the doors, and they opened up to receive various Iraqi leaders, and are the ones who became convinced that there ought to be good relations with Iraq, with which they have the longest common borders; the initiative came from them. The Egyptians, after they realized that they were absent and that the non-Arab neighboring countries were the ones that would fill the vacuum, woke up and came and opened their embassy in Baghdad.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Have Iran and Turkey filled in the vacuum resulting from the Arab absence in Iraq?</p> <p>[Zebari] I have visited Tehran, Ankara, and even Damascus, and I have said to them beware, and do not think that you will fill in the vacuum that will occur due to the withdrawal of the US forces. The Iraqis will not accept anyone other then themselves to fill in the vacuum in their country. We have the legitimate right to do so. Iran, Turkey, and others are waiting for the withdrawal of the US forces, which are in a hurry to leave Iraq in August, to fill in the vacuum; this is a huge disaster.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] What do you think of the Kuwaiti claims over the airplane hired by the Iraqi Airways, which they tried to detain in Britain? How will you deal with the problems with Kuwait?</p> <p>[Zebari] Let me tell you something, several times we have discussed the pending relations with the Kuwaiti brethren. At Sirte summit, we sat with the Amir, deputy prime minister, and foreign minister of Kuwait. There are pending problems between Kuwait and Iraq, and they ought to be resolved. The most prominent of these problems is the issue of the borders that have been demarcated according to UN Security Council Resolution 833, the recognition of which the constitutional Iraqi Government is supposed to reiterate. As for the rest of the issues, they are treatable. These borders have been imposed on Iraq following Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Does Iraq recognize these borders?</p> <p>[Zebari] Saddam Hussein agreed to them in 1993. What is required of this government or the upcoming government is to reiterate its recognition of these borders. This is the key to the resolution of all the pending problems between Iraq and Kuwait. I say it frankly, neither the issue of the missing, the prisoners, nor the properties are the obstacles; this issue (the borders) still is pending. We have tried, and we have exerted huge efforts to resolve it; however, we have become convinced that it is a political and not a technical issue. The government has said, now we are on the verge of elections and we will leave this dossier to the upcoming government.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] You have spoken of the professionalism of the Iraqi ambassadors, but the issue of the ambassadors constitutes a subject for the accusations leveled at the Foreign Ministry, as there are ambassadors who have been appointed at the level of extraordinary ambassador without any diplomatic background. How do you explain this?</p> <p>[Zebari] The ambassador is supposed to be a professional diplomat who has progressed in his diplomatic career until he reaches the grade of ambassador. However, in many countries there are political appointments, i.e. the government or the head of state chooses a former minister, military officer, or a friend as (former US President) Bush or (US President) Obama did. If you look into the background of some US ambassadors you will discover that they are friends of the president. However this happens within certain percentage such as 10 percent or more, and could be as much as 25 percent. The highest percentage of such appointments, as far as we know, is in Egypt. Also we have fixed a percentage of such appointment in the Foreign Service Law, which has been ratified by Parliament and government. However, we are in an interim stage, and all the political sides want to be represented in the diplomatic corpse.</p> <p>I would like to explain the mechanism we used. We have accepted 57 ambassadors out of 150 nominated by the various political blocs; and we have said to all the blocs that we would not accept anyone who does not satisfy even the minimum of the conditions set by our ministry. This is what has taken place, and it was my decision. Among those accepted there have been a large percentage of professional diplomats, and also there have been ambassadors nominated by sides not participating in the government, such as the former Al-Iraqiya List, national and religious minorities, and also women. The process has not taken place on the basis of quotas alone, but we also took into consideration the diversity of the Iraqi society in addition to those who have been nominated by sides in the government. Moreover, the deliberations and the discussions of the names between the ministry and the Parliament continued for two years until the list of names was given back to us; during that period we sent the candidates to training courses, and attached them to work within the departments of the ministry. After that came the difficult stage, even the most complex one, namely the organization and distribution of the ambassadors. This is a more complex process than forming the government. We were obliged to meet the political leaders and explain to them that the standard of the ambassador nominated by them is not suitable to be appointed to this-or-that country, but he has to be appointed to another country, and so on.</p> <p>There have been many opinions saying that we should not send the names to the countries until after the elections, but I insisted on sending them before the elections. I said: I will send them and you will see the confidence of the countries in us. Indeed, we sent the names of the ambassadors to the countries to which they were nominated. This is an achievement that ought to be recorded for the government and for our ministry. Ten days ago, we received 43 approvals out of 52 nominations to Arab and western countries, and to international organizations.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Why is the Foreign Ministry accused of being a Kurdish ministry?</p> <p>[Zebari] This is not true. If you count the number of Kurds among the administrators and diplomats in the Foreign Ministry you will realize that it is very small, and less than the percentage they deserve. The Kurds are Iraqis, and have the right to work in the diplomatic corps. Moreover, I am not promoting the Kurdish interests, but I promote the Iraqi interests, and the Kurds come within this context.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] The Iraqi embassy in London has been, and still is without an ambassador. What are the reasons behind this?</p> <p>[Zebari] Indeed this is a problem. However, there is an ambassador who is a candidate for this post, but I cannot divulge his name now.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Will you remain the foreign minister in the upcoming government?</p> <p>[Zebari] I belong to the Kurdistan Alliance, and this issue is up to the alliance and not to me. When I served as a foreign minister, I was nominated by the Kurdistan Alliance. I am one of the people who consider themselves soldiers in the service of the leadership; this means that today we serve in this post, and tomorrow in another one that is chosen for us by the leadership. This is the first factor. Secondly, this depends of whether or not the Kurdistan Alliance will participate in the government.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is there any doubt that you will participate in the upcoming government?</p> <p>[Zebari] It is possible to forge coalitions that will be able to form the government with no need for the Kurdistan Alliance, and it is possible to include some Kurds from outside the alliance in the upcoming government.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you think that such a possibility might take place?</p> <p>[Zebari] Theoretically, it is possible. The Kurdistan Alliance was strong in the previous elections, and it constituted the second parliamentary bloc. Today, it is the fourth list. However, politically and realistically I do not think that such a possibility might materialize, and all the other blocs agree on the importance of our participation in government. If the negotiations to form the government take place, one of the sovereignty ministries will be in our share. In the past, the choice and agreement was the Foreign Ministry because of the accumulation of expertise and other factors; today, as I said, this is not up to me, but to our leadership.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] If the decision is up to you, will you stay at the Foreign Ministry?</p> <p>[Zebari] I can serve at this ministry, because we have accumulated developed experiences, and we have established good relations with our Arab and non-Arab counterparts. However, I reiterate that the political decision is not up to me.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] As long as we are talking about the formation of the government, what do you think of the existing dispute on the political arena over this issue, I mean the formation of the new government?</p> <p>[Zebari] The disputes are very severe, and the situation has become extremely complicated for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that the results are close between the two major blocs, the Al-Iraqiya (led by Iyad Allawi, former prime minister of the Iraqi Government) and the State of Law (led by Nuri al-Maliki, prime minister of the government whose term has ended). In the previous election there was one bloc that won the majority of the seats and formed the government. As for the current situation, the events will lead to prolonged and complicated negotiations; no serious alliances or dialogs will take place until the ratification of the results of the elections. You know that there are the manual recounting, the looking into the issue of the excluded because of the Debathification commission, and other issues; the longer the period, the more complications will appear.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Would you have preferred the results to be ratified without the issuing of the decision to have a manual recount?</p> <p>[Zebari] The problem lies in the electoral system. The (Independent High Electoral) Commission has done its utmost to make the elections succeed, but there are frightening shortcomings in its work, and it has not taken into consideration many issues. Moreover, there is the absence of the support and help from the United States and Britain that had a clear role in the previous elections; this role has been absent in these elections, which contributed to the increase in the difficulties despite the presence of the United Nations. What I mean exactly is the absence of a side that helps and contributes to gathering the winning blocs in order to agree and form the government.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you think that the US Administration has withdrawn its hand completely from Iraq?</p> <p>[Zebari] Unfortunately I say that the United States now is not bothered about anything other that withdrawing its forces from Iraq. If the new government is not formed by August, and in the light of these difficult security conditions, the withdrawal of the US forces will be too early, and immature. The US Administration has a problem now, if the government is not formed, the security challenges escalate, and the political problems get complicated, the situation will be extremely complicated, and in my opinion this might affect the timetable of the withdrawal of the US forces.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Have you explained this viewpoint of yours to the US side?</p> <p>[Zebari] Yes, we always meet the US ambassador to Baghdad, and there are dialogs with US Vice President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and also her assistants. However, so far their viewpoint is to leave the Iraqis to solve their problems on their own. Their message to us is: Solve your problems quickly so that we can get out quickly.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you think that the current problem, with regard to the issue of manual recounting and the exclusion of some winners from Parliament, will be internationalized in order to find solutions for it?</p> <p>[Zebari] When the situation gets complicated, it is inevitable that an acceptable side intervenes to help in finding solutions; the candidate for such a role is the United Nations. The issue is not one of internationalization as much as it is giving help, especially as there is an international authorization to the United Nations from the UN Security Council with the agreement of the Iraqi Government to intervene in the situation in Iraq. This authorization is under Chapter 7. Therefore, the United Nations can play a clear role and to express its views in order to help in bringing the various sides together.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you optimistic about finding solutions and proceeding with the formation of the government?</p> <p>[Zebari] They call me the eternal optimist; however, after these elections the situation has become difficult.</p> <p>[Asharq Al-Awsat] Difficult?</p> <p>[Zebari] Yes, difficult.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=20813" class="external" target="_blank">Asharq Al-Awsat Talks to Iraqi FM Hoshyar Zebari Asharq Alawsat Newspaper (English)</a> By Ma’ad Fayad</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9939"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/21/red-crescent-mobile-health-clinics-reach-out-to-refugees-and-rural-poor/#respond" title="Comment on Red Crescent Mobile Health Clinics Reach Out To Refugees and Rural Poor">No Comments</a></span> Posted on April 21st, 2010 by Maryam</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/21/red-crescent-mobile-health-clinics-reach-out-to-refugees-and-rural-poor/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Red Crescent Mobile Health Clinics Reach Out To Refugees and Rural Poor">Red Crescent Mobile Health Clinics Reach Out To Refugees and Rural Poor</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/children/" title="View all posts in Children" rel="category tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/health-crisis-iraq/" title="View all posts in Health" rel="category tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/women/" title="View all posts in Women and Children" rel="category tag">Women and Children</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/amoebiasis/" rel="tag">amoebiasis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/asthma/" rel="tag">asthma</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/blood-glucose-level/" rel="tag">blood glucose level</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-health/" rel="tag">Child health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-poverty/" rel="tag">Child Poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chronic-diseases/" rel="tag">chronic diseases</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/chronic-sinusitis/" rel="tag">chronic sinusitis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/clinics/" rel="tag">Clinics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/crohns-disease/" rel="tag">crohns disease</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/desert/" rel="tag">desert</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/desert-areas/" rel="tag">desert areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dorsalgia/" rel="tag">dorsalgia</a>, <a 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/non-insulin-dependent-diabetis-mellitus/" rel="tag">non-insulin dependent diabetis mellitus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/photos/" rel="tag">Photos</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/pneumonia/" rel="tag">pneumonia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty/" rel="tag">Poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty-alleviation/" rel="tag">poverty alleviation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/qamishly/" rel="tag">Qamishly</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescent/" rel="tag">Red Crescent</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescent-volunteers-training-of/" rel="tag">Red Crescent volunteers - training of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/red-crescentred-cross/" rel="tag">Red Crescent/Red Cross</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/respiratory-tract-infections/" rel="tag">respiratory tract infections</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-areas/" rel="tag">rural areas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rural-poverty/" rel="tag">rural poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sandstorms/" rel="tag">sandstorms</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sarc/" rel="tag">SARC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/status-asthmaticus/" rel="tag">status asthmaticus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syrian-red-crescent/" rel="tag">Syrian Red Crescent</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-poverty-of/" rel="tag">women - poverty of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" rel="tag">Women and Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/womens-health/" rel="tag">Women's health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/zor/" rel="tag">Zor</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p><a title="Syria_Red_Crescent_Mobile_Health_Clinic_Captioned by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/4540461554/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="border-right: silver 1px solid; border-top: silver 1px solid; border-left: silver 1px solid; border-bottom: silver 1px solid" height="450" alt="Syria_Red_Crescent_Mobile_Health_Clinic_Captioned" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811im_/http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4540461554_7d6d282978_o.jpg" width="600"/></a> </p> <blockquote><p>Syria hosts the largest number of displaced Iraqis. Despite considerable economical and social consequences, Syria has continued to show generosity towards around one million displaced Iraqis. </p> <p><em>[snip]</em></p> <p>Supported by the International Federation, SARC has responded to the needs of the Iraqi displaced since April 2007. A nation wide network of basic health centres have been developed or upgraded providing quality health support to Iraqis, regardless of their legal status, and to vulnerable members of the host community. </p> </blockquote> <p><a title="Syrian_Red_Crescent_Jaramana_clinic_captioned by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/4540461524/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="border-right: silver 1px solid; border-top: silver 1px solid; border-left: silver 1px solid; border-bottom: silver 1px solid" height="450" alt="Syrian_Red_Crescent_Jaramana_clinic_captioned" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811im_/http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4540461524_365953b25d_o.jpg" width="600"/></a></p> <p align="center"><strong>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/09/MDRSY002eu1.pdf" class="external" target="_blank">International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [PDF]</a></strong></p> <hr style="width: 75%"/> <p style="margin-top: 2em">In rural Syria it can be difficult to get health care especially if you’re poor, female, a child, an Iraki refugee, or all of the above!!! To help meet the health needs of the isolated rural poor the Syrian Red Crescent have set up four Mobile Health Units (MHUs). The MHUs reach out to poor, rural communities with limited or no access to other health services. The four MHUs operate out of rural: </p> <ul> <li>Damascus, </li> <li>Homs, </li> <li>Deir al Zor </li> <li>and Qamishly. </li> </ul> <p>Their coverage areas are vast, the population live in small villages and settlements scattered throughout semi-arid or desert areas. Their problems and hardships have been greatly increased by the drought. The patients cannot afford transport to the closest health facility and the majority of the patients are women and children (up to 65 percent women and 29 % children are under the age of five).</p> <p>The main acute diseases are acute tonsilitis, gastritis, bacteria pneumonia, glycosuria, acute pharungitis, dorsalgia, cough, other anaemias, status asthmaticus, elevated blood glucose level, and bronchiectasis. The main chronic diseases are hypertension, asthma, amoebiasis, non-insulin dependent diabetis mellitus, chronic sinusitis and crohns disease. Patients in the drought affected areas were particularly exposed to asthma and respiratory tract infections due to extreme temperatures and increased intensity in sandstorms. A number of diarrheic patients were reported in the same areas.</p> <p>Maryam</p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9815"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/16/iraqi-refugees-in-syria-not-going-back-soon/#respond" title="Comment on Iraqi refugees in Syria not going back soon">No Comments</a></span> Posted on April 16th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/16/iraqi-refugees-in-syria-not-going-back-soon/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Iraqi refugees in Syria not going back soon">Iraqi refugees in Syria not going back soon</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/category/features/" title="View all posts in Features" rel="category tag">Features</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-labour/" rel="tag">child labour</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" rel="tag">Children</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/" rel="tag">Damascus</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/domestic-violence/" rel="tag">domestic violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/douma-refugee-registration-centre/" rel="tag">Douma refugee registration centre</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/education/" rel="tag">Education</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/farah-dakhlallah/" rel="tag">Farah Dakhlallah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/features/" rel="tag">Features</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/food-ration/" rel="tag">food ration</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugees/" rel="tag">iraqi refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty/" rel="tag">Poverty</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prostitution/" rel="tag">Prostitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/rape/" rel="tag">Rape</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugee-agency/" rel="tag">refugee agency</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugee-camps/" rel="tag">refugee camps</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" rel="tag">Syria</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unemployment-levels/" rel="tag">unemployment levels</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr/" rel="tag">UNHCR</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr-funding-shortfalls/" rel="tag">UNHCR Funding shortfalls</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unhcr-registration-centre/" rel="tag">UNHCR registration centre</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p><strong>Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees have been stuck in Syria for years. They are running out of money and into trouble. </strong> </p> <p>Burud (39) walks with a limp. She lifted her long dress to show that she has been missing a foot ever since she came too close to an exploding bomb in Baghdad in 2005. After she recuperated from her injuries – most of them, that is, she is still missing a hand and her body is full of shards left by the bomb. Burud fled to Syria, where she remains to this day. </p> <div style="border-right: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: lightgrey 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; border-left: lightgrey 1px solid; width: 360px; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: lightgrey 1px solid"><a title="Damascus_shop_captioned" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/4526789050/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" alt="Damascus_shop_captioned" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811im_/http://static.flickr.com/4042/4526789050_51580b7117.jpg" border="0"/></a><br/> <h3><b>Most refugees are Sunnis</b></h3> <p>According to UN estimates, Syria harbours up to 900,000 Iraqi refugees. </p> <p>Of all registered refugees, 65 percent are from Baghdad province. </p> <p>Most, (62 percent) are Sunnis. Only 19 percent are Shiites. Slightly less (11 percent) of refugees are Christian. </p> <p>In Iraq, 60 percent of the population is Shia, 20 percent are Sunni and one percent is Christian. </p> </p></div> <p>She lives in the narrow Sha’ab street, out in the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, with her six children, aged 4 to 17. For Burud, going back is not an option. “I have gone through enough,” she said. “And besides, we were kicked out of our house by Shiite militias.” </p> <h3>Hundreds of thousands fled for Syria</h3> <p>Burud is just one of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees who have been living in Syria for years. Most of them do not live in refugee camps but have found a place amongst the Syrians. About 163,000 refugees are currently registered with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, but it is estimated that an additional 400,000 to 800,000 have not. “Perhaps they don’t need our help. Or perhaps they don’t trust us,” said Farah Dakhlallah, a spokesperson for the UNHCR in Damascus. </p> <p>After the2006 bombing of Al Askari mosque in Samara set off a wave of violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq, refugees started pouring into Syria in huge numbers. At one point, tens of thousands were arriving weekly. Since 2008, Iraq has slowly become less violent. The number of people killed dropped from 2,000 a month to somewhere between 200 and 300. But, like Burud, many refugees have no intention of returning. They no longer have homes to go back to, or remain wary of conditions in their home country. </p> <p>The UN has yet to give the green light for them to return. “A lot of problems remain with general security,” Dakhlallah said, sitting in the UNHCR’s Damascus office. “In addition, power and potable water are not readily available. Unemployment levels are high. We do not believe that the conditions allow for a safe, permanent return, particularly in the five central provinces. A lot of work remains to be done there.” </p> <p>The Iraqi government promised large sums of money, housing and jobs to returning refugees. “But it has failed to make good on those promises,” said Filippo Rossi of the UNHCR registration centre in Douma. Many people have returned without any assistance; the UN assumes some 60,000 did in the last year. </p> <h3>New refugees are still coming </h3> <p>But at the registration centre, dozens of new arrivals still awaited their turn. Every day, some 20 to 30 families, 150 a week, still check in here. Approximately 60 percent are fresh from Iraq. The others have been in Syria for a while but only register once they run out of money and need support. The slower influx of refugees means that their total number is now declining, but the Iraqis left here are doing worse and worse. “Most are middle-class Iraqis who have been pushed into the margins of society,” Dakhlallah said. </p> <p>Officially, refugees are not allowed to work in Syria. “Which forces them to work illegally,” said Dakhlallah. They lose their dignity and their families fall apart. Domestic violence becomes more frequent. Generally speaking, a lot of negative phenomena are on the rise: child labour, forced marriages, prostitution.” </p> <p>Mazen (50) is a Sunni from the Al-Ghazaliya neighbourhood in Baghdad. “I had a prospering car rental business,” he recalled. “But Shiite militias took over my neighbourhood in 2006. I was threatened and told to leave. One day, militias gained access to my home by posing as a regular patrol and raped my wife. I took her, my daughter [now 14] and my two sons [18 and 21] and fled here. By now we have gone through all of our savings, and there is no work here for us.” </p> <p>Mazen does not want to go back. Al-Ghazaliya is still under Shia control. “If we returned we would be killed. Here we are safe, but dependent on outside help. I have lost my dignity,” he said. </p> <p>All registered refugees are entitled to food rations consisting of rice, sugar and tea. Vulnerable groups, single mothers especially, also receive financial assistance of some 80 euros a month. They pay only a nominal fee for basic medical care and their children can attend school for free. </p> <p>The UNHCR is trying hard to prevent Syria’s better healthcare from drawing ‘medical tourism’ from Iraq. The UN supports Syrian healthcare and education by building new schools, for instance, and introducing new educational methods. “It is important to continue this assistance,” Dakhlallah said, “so Damascus won’t suddenly decide it has had enough. So far, Syria has been more than generous.” Still, the UNHCR expects that international financial contributions will dwindle as the world’s attention shifts away from Iraq and its refugees. “Iraq is no longer the world’s biggest problem, but this would be exactly the wrong moment to pull out. A lot of refugees can’t return,” Dakhlallah said. </p> <p>Burud’s husband returned to Iraq in 2006 to earn money. “He is risking his life,” Burud said. “At a certain point he was kidnapped ad by Shiite militias, held captive for three months and tortured.” </p> <p>“In Iraq we are humiliated. We have asked our government for help, but only Shiites or people with wasta [connections] receive it. I am not going back.” </p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://www.nrc.nl/international/Features/article2525449.ece/Iraqi_refugees_in_Syria_not_going_back_soon" class="external" target="_blank">nrc.nl – International – Features – Iraqi refugees in Syria not going back soon</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042811/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/damascus/page/2/">« Previous Entries</a></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="span-10 last"> <div class="span-10" id="tabs"> <ul> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#featured-articles">Featured Articles</a></li> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#latest-articles">Latest Articles</a></li> </ul> <div id="featured-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a 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