Iraq to convene international meeting on Syria’s Hawl
ERBIL, KRG, Iraq (North Press) – Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced on Monday an international government meeting would be held over Hawl Camp in northeastern Syria and revealed that ten trips with Iraqi families have been brought home from the camp.
Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ahmed al-Sahaf, said in a statement to official Iraqi News Agency that the meeting scheduled for today “includes the ministry of foreign affairs, the national security advisor, missions, and organizations in Iraq.”
The meeting will discuss the vision of the Iraqi government regarding the Hawl Camp since it is of “a supreme security interest for Iraq,” according to al-Sahaf.
He added that the Iraqi government called for the international community to urge countries with nationals in the camp to repatriate them as fast as possible and “ending the issue.”
Hawl Camp, 45 km east of the city of Hasakah, is a house for 55.829 individuals, including 28.725 Iraqis, 18.850 Syrians and 8.254 of foreign nationalities, according to the latest statistics obtained by North Press.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that ten trips, with 1,393 Iraqi families numbering 5,569 individuals, have been repatriated from Hawl camp since the process of repatriation began.
He also called on the international community to support Iraqi government bodies including the Ministry of Displacement and Migration in programs for rehabilitation, mental health and vocational training at al-Jada’a camp, for the repatriated Iraqi families, in Nineveh.
The Iraqi government’s call comes days after the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced that it would begin the trial of foreign Islamic State (ISIS) fighters held in AANES’ prisons in line with international and local terrorism laws.
He highlighted the importance of the international community response in coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration in term of holding this meeting at the level of foreign ministers to discuss the issue of ending the Hawl Camp and closing it completely.
The issue of foreign ISIS fighters constitutes a major burden and challenge for the AANES, as their continued detention without trial violates the international law. Furthermore, the security situation is increasingly precarious due to their continued presence, in addition to the presence of the tens of thousands of their family members, mostly women and children, living in camps of North and East Syria.