Source: Zenit
Report Details Findings From 12-Day Trip to Mideast
WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 13, 2007 Since the United States is the leader of the coalition forces in Iraq, it should also lead the humanitarian response to the plight of the refugees, say the U.S. bishops.The U.S. bishops' conference released a 31-page report Monday, urging the government to increase assistance offered to Iraqi refugees and the countries to which they are escaping. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, New York, consultant to the episcopal Committee on Migration, released the report after heading a delegation that spent almost two weeks in the Middle East in July assessing the situation of Iraqi refugees."The situation of Iraqi refugees grows worse as each day passes,” Bishop DiMarzio said. "What has not changed is that the international response to this crisis, and particularly that of the United States, remains woefully inadequate."As an example, the prelate reported on the slow processing of refugees looking to resettle in the United States. Though government figures indicated that 7,000 refugees would be processed during the calendar year, only about 700 have actually arrived.The report includes a look at how Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon are faring as host countries for 2.2 million Iraqi refugees in the Middle East.
Report Details Findings From 12-Day Trip to Mideast
WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 13, 2007 Since the United States is the leader of the coalition forces in Iraq, it should also lead the humanitarian response to the plight of the refugees, say the U.S. bishops.The U.S. bishops' conference released a 31-page report Monday, urging the government to increase assistance offered to Iraqi refugees and the countries to which they are escaping. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, New York, consultant to the episcopal Committee on Migration, released the report after heading a delegation that spent almost two weeks in the Middle East in July assessing the situation of Iraqi refugees."The situation of Iraqi refugees grows worse as each day passes,” Bishop DiMarzio said. "What has not changed is that the international response to this crisis, and particularly that of the United States, remains woefully inadequate."As an example, the prelate reported on the slow processing of refugees looking to resettle in the United States. Though government figures indicated that 7,000 refugees would be processed during the calendar year, only about 700 have actually arrived.The report includes a look at how Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon are faring as host countries for 2.2 million Iraqi refugees in the Middle East.