Iraq promises new laws to protect rights of Palestinian refugees

The Palestinian Ambassador to Iraq, Ahmed Aqel, said the Speaker of Iraq’s Parliament, Salim Al-Jubouri, has promised him to find a legal formula during the next few days to preserve the Palestinian refugees’ rights in Iraq.

The ambassador met with Al-Jubouri in his office in Baghdad to discuss the issue of Palestinian refugees in Iraq and other issues.

An expert in Palestinian affairs in Iraq, Hassan al-Khalid, said in an interview with Quds Press that the Iraqi Parliament Speaker’s remarks nullified all the clarifications provided by the Secretariat to the Iraqi cabinet or even the prime minister, who at his last weekly conference said that the decisions issued regarding the residency of foreigners in Iraq do not affect the Palestinian refugees in Iraq.

Iraq abolished last month Resolution 202 which gave Palestinian refugees in Iraq the same rights as Iraqi citizens except citizenship, army service and political action.

Read: Palestine envoy to Iraq denies changes to Palestinian rights

“There are laws that regulate the treatment of Palestinians in Iraq”, al- Khalid said adding that if the Iraqi prime minister remarks were true, “then why would al-Jubouri promise the ambassador to produce a legal formula to regulate the Palestinian refugees affairs in Iraq.

“From my point of view, as I mentioned earlier, the Iraqi government is trying to cover up its mistake after abolishing Resolution 202 after the media pressure” he said adding that “the reference to the Palestinian refugees’ rights under the Refugee Law No. 51 of 1971, is inaccurate because the law concerns political refugees and does not include the Palestinians in Iraq.

The Secretariat of the Council of Ministers confirmed last month that the Palestinians refugees’ rights are preserved and respected.