Jordan:One refugee in Amman tells Michael Jansenwhy his family have given up their dream of returning to Iraq, and are now heading for Canada.
Nuri swings the car downhill towards the souqs of Amman. "Let's have coffee at Nuha's favourite cafe. The coffee is terrible but the ambiance is nice," he says. Nuha is a close friend who died of a rare form of leukaemia three years ago. She blamed toxic smoke and dust inhaled during the first Bush war on Iraq for her illness. Traffic is heavy and there is no place to park near the cafe so we end up at the once fashionable but now shabby Diplomat.
"Sorry I can't take you home," he says. "Suad [ his wife] and the boys are leaving tomorrow for Toronto and the flat is a mess. Iraq is finished for us. There's no point in dreaming about going back home for at least another 20 or 30 years. We can't even go to the family farm because it has been taken over by al-Qaeda. I'll follow Suad after Amal's [ his daughter] wedding. She's going to Dubai with her husband who has a job there." The waiter brings coffee for me and tea for Nuri. The coffee tastes fine.
Nuri and Suad held on for as long as they could, shuttling between Amman and Baghdad along the 500km-highway of death between the Iraqi border and the capital. He closed his business there in 2005 but consults for a firm in Kerbala. Suad has business interests in the Gulf so they live apart most of the time. They decided to go to Canada when Jordan began to refuse entry to Iraqis. "There are so many restrictions," says Nuri.
"Rules and regulations change all the time. Few Iraqis register as refugees. Those who do, get a document with a photo. But if they leave Jordan, they are not allowed to come back. Even people with valid residence permits are turned away. Illegals can be rounded up and deported at any time. They live in fear."
The government is under strong popular pressure to reduce the number of Iraqis living in Jordan - they are accused of causing inflation and high rents and of taking Jordanian jobs.
"What about your work?" I ask. "We'll continue as best we can," he replies. "To get nationality we must stay 780 days uninterrupted in Canada or 780 days over five years. We're taking the five- year plan.
"We'll have to commute for our work. It'll be expensive. But once we're Canadians, we'll be able to go anywhere, live anywhere. Iraqi passports are useless. Many Iraqi artists are going to Canada. All educational and cultural activities are outside Iraq. We're setting up an Iraqi cultural organisation to help artists.
"Last month the University of Jordan published a study that shows Iraqis are not a drain on the economy but actually contribute to growth. We rent flats, send our children to schools and pay for services. The war led to rising fuel and food costs and is behind inflation, not refugees. Other surveys show that there are 300,00 to 320,000 Iraqis with residence permits and 350,000 without - fewer than people thought."
The influx of Iraqis has contributed at least $2 billion to the Jordanian economy and boosted the kingdom's growth rate to 8 per cent. Iraqis have invested more than $300 million in the stock market and registered capital of $140 million. Le Royal, a luxury hotel modelled on a ziggurat, belongs to an Iraqi billionaire. Other wealthy Iraqis have built grand villas in the exclusive Abdun neighbourhood. Iraqi galleries display paintings and sculpture by Iraqi artists, the most talented in the Arab world. Iraqi bakeries turn out traditional boat-shaped bread loaves and specialities. Their restaurants serve grilled Tigris carp and biryani, rice with vegetables, meat or chicken. Amman's largest and newest mall, the Mecca Mall has been dubbed the "Baghdad Mall" because it is a favourite with Iraqis who are instantly recognised by their lilting Arabic.
Iraq's football team lives and trains in Amman because Baghdad is too dangerous. Last week thousands greeted the team in Amman en route to the Iraqi capital to be feted in the fortified Green Zone for winning the Asian Cup. Forgetting the team's brutal treatment by the former regime, the throng chanted: "With our spirit and blood, we sacrifice ourselves for you, Saddam."