UN secretary-general visits Syrian refugees in northern Iraq

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Syrian refugees in northern Iraq on Tuesday.

The secretary-general was accompanied by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos as they visited the Kawrgosik camp in the Kurdish region of Iraq, and expressed regret over Syria's "man-made tragedy."

Ban explained the purpose of their visit to the camps, saying "I am here to send our strong solidarity and support to all the refugees who came from Syria, on behalf of the United Nations and the international community... We are also here to listen to the concerns and aspirations of all the refugees here."

The UN officials also used the trip to encourage Kurdish leaders, who are hosting more than 220,000 Syrian refugees, to keep their border with Syria open so that Syrian refugees can flee the deadly conflict.

On Monday, Ban met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad to discuss the political and security situation in Iraq.

[United Nations]