Iraqi refugees face uncertain future

DAMASCUS, Syria, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Iraqi refugees residing in tent settlements along the Syrian border said the year ahead looks bleak as potential host countries fail to come forward.

Many of the refugees living in the al-Tanf refugee camp along the Syrian border with Iraq said that potential host nations have not offered much assistance, the U.N. humanitarian news agency, IRIN, reported.

The Syrian government, though welcoming, is unable to deal with the flood of refugees from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, leaving settlers stuck in the deserts along the eastern Syrian border.

"It's hard to say why resettlement is so slow," said Kristian Boysen with the U.N. agency working with Palestinian refugees, who also flock to Syria. "Each country has an immigration quota, and they choose who they think will fit into the country."

Sybella Wilkes with the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees added the conditions at the al-Tanf refugee camp are very poor, citing complications from extreme summer heat to heavy winter rains.

IRIN said most refugees look to Europe for potential resettlement, adding if each country in the European Union agreed to host 10 families, many of the refugee camps would be emptied.