Number of Iraqis fleeing not going down because of 'security' but because of tighter restrictions

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The number of Iraqis fleeing their homeland has declined in recent months, primarily because neighboring countries refuse to let them enter, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday.

"The number of people fleeing Iraq has declined considerably because of the visa restrictions that have been imposed by governments around Iraq, particularly Syria and Jordan," Ron Redmond, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said.

"There used to be 3,000 people a day, but that's not possible now because they require visas," he told The Associated Press. He said he was unable to say exactly how many people are leaving Iraq now, but he was sure it was much lower.

Syria imposed new rules in October limiting visas to Iraqis traveling for commercial, transport, scientific or education reasons, and requiring them to apply at the Syrian Embassy in the volatile Baghdad district of Al-Mansour. Jordan barred Iraqis earlier.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080108/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_iraq_refugees