Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 13 February 2018

UN refugee chief urges US, others to take in more refugees

By ALICE SU from a camp for Syrian ref- part because of his agen-
Associated Press ugees in Jordan, one of the cy’s appeal for more care-
ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, main host countries. ful reviews of cases.
Jordan (AP) — The head of Filippo Grandi also said that Jordan is believed to have
the U.N. refugee agency the number of Syrians being deported several thousand
on Monday appealed to deported from Jordan to refugees since last year,
the United States and other their war-ravaged home- mostly on security grounds.
nations to take in more dis- land “decreased dramati- Rights groups have said de-
placed people, speaking cally” in recent months, in portations often take place

U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi speaks to the press during a
visit to the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp, in Mafraq, Jordan,
Monday, Feb. 12, 2018.
(AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
quickly, without a thorough largest number of refugees,
investigation. has scaled back its resettle-
Only about 15,000 Syrian ment program under the
refugees, out of close to Trump administration.
660,000 registered in Jor- Grandi said the United Na-
dan, have opted to leave tions will likely be able to re-
the kingdom for Syria since settle only about 10,000 ref-
2016, Grandi said during a ugees from Jordan to third
tour of the Zaatari refugee countries this year, com-
camp. pared to 25,000 to 30,000
“So it’s a very small num- per year in the past.
ber. Why? Because people “Now my appeal to the
don’t feel secure,” he said. U.S., to Denmark, to the
“And when you see the countries that have re-
war becoming more and duced, is (to) continue to
more complicated, with raise again your quotas,”
more and more actors in- Grandi said.
volved, then you get more In Zaatari, which has about
worried.” 80,000 residents, Grandi
Millions of Syrians have visited a new solar power
been uprooted since con- plant that provides elec-
flict erupted in the country tricity to the camp for 14
in 2011. Some 5.5 million Syr- hours a day.
ians have fled their home- He also stopped by an em-
land, most finding refuge ployment center where
in nearby host countries. 8,000 Syrians obtained
Several hundreds of thou- work permits last year for
sands moved on to Europe, jobs outside the camp.
with the help of smugglers Meryem Mohammed
taking them across peril- Shaabi, 47, a mother of
ous sea routes, while only four, was at the center
a small portion have been Monday to seek a permit
able to move to the West to work in a clothing facto-
through resettlement pro- ry in northern Jordan where
grams. 50 Syrian women from Zaa-
The United States, which tari are to be employed by
traditionally took in the March.q