Help Iraqi refugees or they may come to Europe - UN

Iraqi refugees who are running out of money in Syria may head for Europe if the international community fails to supply sufficient relief funding, the US said yesterday.

"I think they will move north if things don't get better," UNHCR head of operations in Syria, Laurens Jolles, told reporters on a trip to Europe aimed in part at boosting funding from governments.

The number of Iraqis seeking asylum in EU member states doubled last year from the previous year to almost 40,000.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says 1.5 million Iraqis have fled sectarian violence to neighbouring Syria and more might move towards the EU in the hope of jobs, safety and better conditions.

Overall, Iraq has produced 4.5 million refugees and internally displaced people. Numbers soared after attacks on mosques in February 2006 sparked widespread ethnic violence.

Hundreds of thousands are also in Jordan and Lebanon, and growing numbers have fled beyond the Middle East. UNHCR says it needs $261 million to increase food relief and assistance across the region. Some 30 per cent will likely be funded by the US.

Iraqi refugees in Syria have access to some state benefits including education but are not allowed to work, although Mr Jolles said many were working informally. Many middle-class migrants are exhausting their resources.

"That means more children out of school - often because they have to work," he said. "It means more prostitution. It means more people living in one apartment.

"It means more crime... many Syrians are asking why they are the ones who have to deal with this." Syria has pledged not to return people against their will.

Iraq's displaced are in cities rather than tented camps, prompting a change in how aid is delivered. With automatic cash dispensers commonplace, UNHCR has been issuing prepaid cash cards instead of handouts for the first time.

Aside from UN agencies and the Syrian Red Crescent, no other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are allowed to operate although Mr Jolles said a memorandum of understanding was being signed allowing in other international aid groups.