A senior official in charge of immigration affairs Saturday announced in Tehran that Iran may settle on its soil Iraqi refugees who are found of fleeing for their lives in the event of a US strike on the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Iran's Deputy Interior Minister and the head of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs, Ahmad Hosseini, told IRNA that such displaced people would be prevented from entering Iranian cities. "Iraqi nationals will be allowed to enter Iran only if they are found of having their lives in danger, but these people will not be allowed to enter Iranian cities," Hosseini conveyed.
In a different announcement, Iran said Saturday it "is carefully studying" UN Security Council resolution on Iraq as it hoped "Iraq will fully cooperate" with UN weapons inspectors in order to remove "any ground for American pretext and adventurism in the region."
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi, however, noted that "the Security Council must be the pivot for any decision and action on Iraq." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
