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US announces USD 18 million, Iraq USD 25 million

US announces USD 18 million, Iraq USD 25 million GENEVA, April 17 (KUNA) -- US Under-Secretary of State Paaula Dobriansky announced today that her government expects in 2007 to provide USD 100 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraqis, both inside and outside Iraq. She added, in a news conference today, that the US will also contribute USD 18 million to the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) emergency appeal for Iraqi displacement.
Dobriansky added that the US might be able to take this year for resettlement some 25,000 Iraqi asylum seeker. The US official in charge of Democracy and Global affairs said that the US is taking into consideration the plight of 40,000 third-country refugees still living in Iraq among them 15,000 Palestinians. Dobriansky said it is the responsibility of the Iraqi government and UNHCR to protect those refugees.
She said that she is pleased the Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiar Zibary has announced Iraq's contribution of USD 25 million.
While Switzerland has announced the doubling of its assistance for the Iraqi displacement problem from SFR 2 million to SFR 4 million. (end) hn.rk KUNA 171858 Apr 07NNNN