Plans by the Netherlands to deport a group of failed Iraqi asylum seekers back to their home country have been put on hold following the intervention of the president of the European court of human rights.

On Tuesday, immigration minister Gerd Leers had said the deportation of 15 to 30 people would go ahead, despite warnings that the situation in Iraq is not safe.
While the situation in Iraq is worrying, it has not been confirmed to have deteriorated over the past six months, he said.
Delay
But later Leers agreed to abide by the court official’s position. He said deportations should not be made until November 24 at least, Nos tv reports.
Since the end of 2008, refugees from Iraq have been given greater protection in the Netherlands than asylum seekers from some other countries.
Meanwhile, lawyers specialised in refugees have accused government officials of deliberately withholding the letter from the court advising the Netherlands not to deport people to Iraq.