Damascus blocks entrance to Palestinians coming from Iraq

DAMASCUS - After allowing in scores of Palestinians fleeing violence in Iraq but denied entry into Jordan, Syria is banning the entry of Palestinians coming directly from Iraq, a foreign ministry source said yesterday.

The source, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the earlier decision to accept Palestinians stranded on the Iraqi-Jordanian border "does not cover any other Palestinians."

The ban on others appeared designed to discourage the estimated 34,000 Palestinians who live in Iraq from attempting to leave for Syria, already home to about 500,000 Palestinians.

Earlier this month, 244 Palestinians - including 70 children and 41 women - entered Syria at the al-Tanaf border crossing and were transferred to the al-Hol Palestinian refugee camp at Hasaka in northeastern Syria.

Soon later, 43 more were allowed into Syria, bringing the total to 287.

120 hoping to enter

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees representative in Syria, Abdel-Hamid El-Ouali, told The Associated Press there were 120 Palestinians, including four pregnant women and a large number of children, on the Syrian-Iraqi border at al-Tanaf hoping to enter the country.

Their number was expected to increase because more were still arriving at al-Tanaf, he said.

The foreign ministry source, however, said they would not be allowed to enter because they came directly to the Syrian border from Iraq.

Accepting the first batch last week was a "humane gesture," he said.