STOCKHOLM: Sweden, which has taken in more Iraqi refugees than any other European Union country, said today it had signed a deal with Iraq that allows some asylum-seekers to be returned forcibly. The agreement was signed in Baghdad by Sweden s envoy to Iraq and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Sweden s Justice Ministry said in a statement.

Effective immediately, it allows Sweden to send back any asylum-seekers who do not meet its criteria. Sweden in the past has rejected requests from those who could not show that they personally were in danger if they returned to Iraq. Kristina Lindahl, a spokeswoman for Sweden s immigration ministry, said there were about 400 Iraqis currently in Sweden whose requests for asylum had been rejected. Previously Iraq was unwilling to accept returns unless they were voluntary, Lindahl said. There had been a few cases of voluntary returns, although she did not have exact numbers.

The repatriation should first and foremost be voluntary, but can also be carried out forcibly, the ministry said. The accord would not affect the way asylum applicants were handled or those whose applications have been approved, it said. Lindahl said about 18,000 Iraqi asylum-seekers came to Sweden last year. That was more than half the total that came to EU countries in 2007 and was about double the number coming to Sweden in 2006.

Source : UNI