The number of Iraqis seeking asylum in industrialized countries could again rise to the levels seen in the final years of the former regime, according to UN figures published Friday, according to dpa. Applications by Iraqis fleeing the continuing violence in the country almost doubled during the first half of 2007 compared with the previous six months, the latest quarterly bulletin prepared by the UN refugee agency UNHCR said. It showed 19,800 Iraqis applied to 36 industrialized nations (31 European states and five non-European states) covered in the survey, up 45 per cent on the second half of 2006 when 13,600 applications were received. UNHCR said the figures reflected the continuing violence. "If current trends are maintained, by the end of the year the number of Iraqi asylum seekers might reach levels witnessed between 2000 and 2002 when, annually, an average of 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqis sought asylum," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said. An estimated 2.2 million Iraqis have left the country mainly to Syria and Jordan, which are not included in the UNHCR bulletin. Sweden has received almost half the 19,800 applications (9,300) made to the industrialized countries surveyed, followed by Greece (3,500), Spain (1,500) and Germany (820). For asylum seekers of all nationalities, the steady decline seen since 2001 had been reversed at the end of 2006. UNHCR said it believed the rise was set to continue. During the first half of 2007 there had been 147,500 asylum applications, up 9 per cent on the same period in 2006. If current patterns continued, the report stated, the number of asylum seekers could rise by 10 per cent by the end of this year, compared to 2006, to reach between 290,000 and 320,000. Overall, the US was the largest recipient of asylum seekers' claims with an estimated 26,800 applying, followed by Sweden (17,700). Most asylum seekers were fleeing Iraq (19,800) followed by China (8,600), Pakistan (7,300), Serbia and Montenegro (7,200) and the Russian Federation (6,500).
