Iraqi PM appeals to refugees to return home

At a press conference on Friday with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told reporters that he hopes Iraqi refugees living abroad, “especially the experts,” would begin returning home to Iraq, Agence France-Presse reported the same day.

A day after a large international conference on Iraq in Stockholm which he co-hosted, Maliki acknowledged the “positive attitude” of Sweden, which has taken in the most Iraqi refugees in Europe, while he did his best to entice the large population of Iraqis living abroad to come home.

“We have statistics that say tens of thousands of refugees wish to return. We welcome them, we will give them privileges,” said Maliki. He asserted that the Iraqi government has a “clear strategy” and has earmarked funds “so as to take the necessary preparations for a voluntary return” of refugees.

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