The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is welcoming 65 Iranian Kurds to Ireland today as part of a group being resettled here under the UN Resettlement Programme.
The refugees, who arrived 10 days ago, are the first of a total group of 180 due to be relocated to the State.
"In all, these families have spent over 25 years in various temporary camp-like sites - the children have known no other kind of existence," Mr McDowell said.
The Minister announced in February that the Government was accepting on humanitarian grounds a large group of refugees from a UNHCR camp near Ruwayshid in Jordan. A selection mission was undertaken by his officials in early April.
The refugees are now participating in a six-week language and orientation training course in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, before being permanently resettled in Dublin and Leitrim.
The group is made up of 11 families with individuals ranging in age from two to 73. These families have been specifically selected to arrive first on the basis that they have relatives who have already been resettled here under the UNHCR programme.
This group of Iranian Kurds fled from Iran to Iraq between 1979 and 1981 where they were accommodated in an area known as Al Tash.
Following heightened insecurity associated with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the group fled to the Jordanian border where they lived in the "No Man's Land" refugee camp.
The UNHCR proposed to close the camp later this year - thus requiring a strong humanitarian response from those countries involved in resettlement. It was in this context that the Minister decided to resettle a significant number of refugees from the camp.
Ireland is one of 18 countries worldwide, and one of only six EU member states, which participate in the Resettlement Programme. Refugees have been admitted into Ireland from 16 different countries to date under this programme.
PA