A Swedish-Turkish Pact Paves the Way to Extradite Thousands of Iraqi Kurds

(The Kurdistan Observer) Sep 10, 2001. A Swedish radio station revealed the content of an
agreement between Stockholm and Ankara allowing the Swedish Immigration Department
to extradite Iraqi Kurds who fled through Turkey to seek asylum in Sweden.  This
agreement will affect about four thousand Kurds who are currently in Sweden seeking
asylum.  These Kurds will be sent back to Iraqi Kurdistan via Turkey.

This move by Sweden marks a strengthening of immigration policy by the European
governments, notably Holland and Belgium, against the influx of refugees.  A large number
of these refugees are Iraqi Kurds fleeing to Europe through Turkey, facilitated by smugglers
in Turkey.  The Turkish authorities have recently intensified investigation of the visa
permits used by the Kurds entering Turkey.  
---------------------------------