Syria reeling from flood of Iraqi refugees

DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Syrian officials say 700,000 Iraqis from various ethnic and religious backgrounds have arrived since the U.S.-led invasion, the Washington Post reports.

The influx, which has spiked in the last four months has resulted in soaring rents, overcrowded schools, rising crime and health problems.

"We cannot continue like this," said Abdelhamid Ouali, the representative for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria. "The situation is terrible, and we are obliged to do something."

Many Syrians are starting to complain about the effects of the Iraqi arrivals, mostly over the crowded schools and rising rents. The wealthiest Iraqis have been buying up land in the western suburbs of Damascus, building huge homes and pushing up real estate prices 50 percent over the past year.

Peter Ford, the British ambassador to Syria, said the migration was worrisome to the Syrian government.

"They are risking going too far and making matters worse for themselves here," Ford said. "When you import a people, you import their problems."