Aid group calls for refugee relief in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The United States must make it a priority to resettle the 3,000 Palestinians from Iraq who live in tents along the Syrian border, Refugees International said.

"The Obama administration must step in and send a clear message to the world that we are interested in helping displaced people find stable homes," said Kristele Younes with the non-governmental organization.

Refugees International, based in Washington, D.C., said the United States needs to work with the international community to find a suitable process for resettlement, as the current plan to send the refugees to Sudan is unacceptable.

"The international community's failure to act and resettle this extremely vulnerable population has led the United Nations to consider Sudan as the only viable option for them," said Younes. "This is not a durable solution."

Facing persecution from the Iraqi government, the organization said, some 3,000 Palestinians fled to the Syrian border, only to be refused entry and forced to live in tent villages in the desert.

U.N. officials had evacuated 42 Sudanese refugees Monday who were trapped in remote areas of the deserts of Anbar province along the Iraqi border with Syria.