Middle East News

May 5, 2009, 11:32 GMT

UN changes asylum guidelines following improved Iraq security

Geneva - The security situation in central and southern Iraq has improved, the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) said Tuesday, announcing it had changed its guidelines for asylum seekers. UNHCR said it would no longer recommend the automatic granting of refugee status for people from central and southern Iraq and instead those asylum seekers should be individually assessed. In spite of this change, the agency made exceptions for a large number of people, including religious and ethnic minorities, public officials, people opposing armed groups or political factions, Iraqis working for foreign militaries or contractors, journalists, employees of the UN and humanitarian charities, human rights activists and homosexuals. These groups, UNHCR said, should receive 'favourable consideration' from governments in countries where they apply for asylum. The UN also said that in the event a country was overwhelmed by the refugee influx and was unable to conduct individual checks, it should give the asylum seekers the benefit of the doubt and grant them safety. This would mostly affecting neighbouring nations, particularly Syria. The security improvement in southern Iraq, the UN noted, 'does not yet constitute fundamental changes sufficient to promote or encourage massive returns to Iraq' of refugees.

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