IRAQI REFUGEES

by RAY FLEMING
WHY is Britain dragging its feet so over the admission of Iraqi refugees? The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) yesterday officially asked the British government to increase the number of refugees that it takes and to speed up the time it takes to consider their cases. Earlier this year the UN office in Jordan, where thousands of refugees have been taken in, submitted 123 names to Britain but only 17 have been accepted, three have been rejected and the remainder are in limbo. The UN undertakes rigorous screening of the names it puts forward. Although there was good news last week for the Iraqi interpreters who wanted a guarantee of asylum after working for the British forces, the decision to offer them a cash payment or resettlement in Britain took a long time. The numbers involved are about six hundred but many Iraqis who have served Britain in less vulnerable positions will get no help despite the danger they may be in after British troops withdraw. The United States has taken in very few Iraqi refugees until now but recently announced a new programme that will increase their numbers considerably. The US and Britain, as the lead countries in the invasion that has forced hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to leave their country, should surely set a better example of compassion.