Global Policy Forum

By Matt Weaver

The surging violence in Iraq has created what is becoming the biggest refugee crisis in the world, a humanitarian group said today. A report by Washington-based Refugees International said an influx of Iraqis threatened to overwhelm other Middle Eastern countries, particularly Syria, Jordon and Lebanon. Last month, the UN estimated that 100,000 people were fleeing the country each month, with the number of Iraqis now living in other Arab countries standing at 1.8 million.

Today's report came as George Bush and Tony Blair were due to discuss the situation in Iraq, which the bipartisan Iraq Study Group yesterday described as "grave and deteriorating". Refugees International said the acceleration in the numbers fleeing Iraq meant it could soon overtake the refugee crisis in Darfur. "We're not saying it's the largest [refugee crisis], but it's quickly becoming the largest," spokeswoman Kristele Younes said. "The numbers are very, very scary." Ms Younes said the most pressing concern was to prevent other countries from sending Iraqis back to the violence that had forced them to flee their homeland.

The report revealed Iraqi refugees were facing tough restrictions in other Arab countries, preventing them from finding work or gaining access to healthcare and other public services. Jordan has all but closed the door to Iraqis, and has stopped renewing residency permits for the approximately 500,000 already there. The kingdom's restrictions have made Syria - which does not require entry visas from Arabs - the leading destination for refugees from Iraq, with around 2,000 entering the country each day, the UN said.

Refugees International called on the west to "lead an international initiative to support Middle Eastern countries hosting Iraqi civilians". "The United States and its allies sparked the current chaos in Iraq, but they are doing little to ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the current exodus," Kenneth Bacon, the organisation's president, said.

The US State department claimed Washington had funded programme to help "the most vulnerable Iraqis" in Jordan and Syrian, and planned to expand that next year. "Iraq's neighbours have showed great generosity in permitting significant numbers of Iraqis to enter and remain, and we continue to call on them to provide temporary asylum," a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, Mr Bush's chief spokesman, Tony Snow, yesterday suggested a new US strategy for Iraq could be revealed in the next few weeks. Appearing on CNN's Larry King Live, he said: "Maybe by the end of the year, the president can announce a new way forward."