Iraqi Returnees Thank Syria

Al-Baath, the official newspaper of the ruling Baath party, reported on the return of approximately 800 Iraqi refugees to Iraq on November 28.



The newspaper focused on Syria’s support for the refugees and praised the government for “taking the lead in lending a helping hand and playing host to Arabs at times of difficulty and misfortune”.



Twenty buses transported the Iraqis back to their country.



Al-Baath quoted one refugee, Nasir Hadi Dakhil, as saying, "We feel pain to be leaving Syria, the country that has generously hosted us for three years.”



Iraq’s charge d'affaires in Damascus Hassan al-Sawadi thanked President Bashar al-Asad for taking care of the refugees and alleviating their suffering.



In addition, a United Nations source said a three-person UN team had arrived in Baghdad to follow up on the conditions facing returning refugees.



The UN refugee agency UNHCR reports that approximately 1.4 million Iraqi refugees are in Syria.