New York: The United Nations refugee agency has launched a US$ 60 million appeal to assist hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the conflict in Iraq.

The funds will cover UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protection and assistance programmes for Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey, as well as non-Iraqi refugees and IDPs, in what the agency says is the largest long-term population movement in the Middle East since the displacement of Palestinians following the creation of Israel in 1948.

About one out of every eight Iraqis is now displaced.

"The burden on host communities and governments in the region is enormous. It is essential that the international community support humanitarian efforts to help the most vulnerable people," High Commissioner Antonio Guterres said.

"The longer this conflict goes on, the more difficult it becomes for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced and the communities that are trying to help them - both inside and outside Iraq." UNHCR and its partners estimate that out of a total population of 26 million, some 1.7 million Iraqis are displaced internally and up to 2 million have fled to nearby countries.

While many were displaced before 2003, increasing numbers of Iraqis are now fleeing escalating sectarian, ethnic and gene ralized violence.