The European Union's development chief is set to tour Middle East countries to assess the situation of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in the troubled region, EU officials said Tuesday, according to DPA. On an April 25-29 trip, EU development commissioner Louis Michel plans to meet with leading officials in Israel, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian territories, the European Commission said. Some 2 million Iraqis are estimated to be internally displaced while another 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries. Syria is hosting 1.2 million Iraqi refugees and at least 750,000 Iraqis are estimated to live in Jordan. The commission said that Michel will also hold talks with aid group representatives working in the region. "The security situation in Iraq is our greatest concern," Michel's spokesman said. While aid groups are able to provide for Iraqi refugees in neighbouring countries, "very few of our partners are still able to deliver aid inside Iraq," the spokesman added. The United Nations has called for a global solution to the Iraqi refugee situation, saying countries worldwide need to alleviate a mounting humanitarian crisis in the Middle East by taking in Iraqis seeking to escape the escalating violence in the country. About 50,000 people continue to flee Iraq every month, mostly to Syria and Jordan, according to the UN. The EU recently allocated 10.2 million euros (13.8 million dollars) in humanitarian aid for victims of the Iraq crisis.
