Intensive meetings on asylum law in Yemen [Archives:2002/35/Front Page]

The National Committee on Refugees Affairs, composed of the Yemeni ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs, Political Security Organization and the Immigration and Passports Authority, are holding at present meetings for preparing a draft law on those seeking refuge in Yemen.
Official sources have made it clear that the meetings being held for this purpose would come out with a final draft law at the end of this year. The sources have further elucidated that the law intends to found special Yemeni criteria defining the status of asylum which has remained the responsibility of concerned international organizations. The draft law also aims at effecting legal texts defining the ways of dealing with the refugees.
Meanwhile, Charge d’Affaires of UNHCR to Sana’a Frank Remus said, in a statement to al-Wahda newspaper on Wednesday that the refugees draft law was to be considered a daring step that would help substantially the efforts of the UNHCR as it would be the first of its kind in Yemen. He pointed out that the law would limit the increasing illegal economic-motivated migration to Yemen.
The number of refugees in Yemen is expected to rise to 150 thousands at the end of this year, most of them from the Horn of Africa.

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