According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), refugee flows from Iraq are placing a considerable strain on neighboring countries, such as Syria and Jordan. Syria, for instance, has received roughly 1.2 million Iraqis fleeing the instability in their homeland which ensued following the US-led invasion, while a further 800,000 reside in Jordan. In the case of the latter, there is the fear, according to UNHCR's regional representative Stephane Jaquemet, "that the number is growing and that the balance between the local population and the refugee community is now quite shaky." A UNHCR conference to be held next week in Geneva is set to focus on the humanitarian requirements for the 2 million Iraqis who have been translocated by hostilities in Iraq, along with the further 1.9 million internally displaced persons. [Reuters, April 13]

From Madrid11.net Security Briefs, April 13

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