CAIRO: Egypt has modified the visa policy for Iraqi refugees seeking to enter the country, the Foreign Ministry said, citing security concerns.
The local Middle East News Agency quoted foreign ministry official Mahmoud Aouf as telling parliament Wednesday that “this decision is due to the nature of the security circumstances accompanying the entry of Iraqis into Egypt at this stage. The sensitivities of Egyptian national security requirements must be respected.
Therefore, visas will no longer be handed at points of entry, such as Cairo airport, Reuters cited an official on Thursday, but rather applications must be submitted in advance to Egyptian consulates abroad.
However, experts and human rights watchdogs believe the real reason is to stem the tide of Iraqis entering the country.
“Egypt is suffering from an inability to absorb a great number of refugees from abroad, and Egypt’s ability to handle these numbers is limited, Bahieddin Hassan, head of the Cairo Center for Human Rights told The Daily Star Egypt.
Mohammed Abdel-Salam, a military and Iraq expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies admitted that while there is a possibility of a security threat, the main reason for the policy change is to limit the influx of Iraqis entering the country.
“This is a procedure adopted by many countries who have received a huge number of refugees. Jordan has adopted this policy too. Only Syria hasn’t adopted this policy as of yet, he told The Daily Star Egypt.
Egypt has admitted 120,000 Iraqis since the onset of the war in 2003. Of these, between 5,000 and 6,000 are registered at the UNHCR, a UN official told Reuters. She added that Iraqis with enough funds are allowed to stay in Egypt indefinitely and do not need to register.
“The UNHCR in Egypt couldn’t provide assistance to refugees in the past, their ability is limited by resources and funding, Hassan said, “and also, the Iraqi situation has worsened from a fractured civil war to a full one. This will mean a greater number of refugees in the future.
Abdel-Salam said: “Egypt doesn’t have huge Arab communities, with the exception of the Palestinian and Sudanese communities, because the services on offer are limited. As for the official claims of security concerns, Hassan said that “within the number of admitted refugees, it is possible that a few of them could pose a threat.
Abdel-Salam concurred, saying, “Yes there is an aspect of security, especially in these circumstances. In general, most countries adopt an early visa process to check on who is entering and whether they might pose a threat or not.
Since the war began, 700,000 Iraqis have fled to Jordan and 400,000 to Syria in addition to those in Egypt.
