Iraq will not help the government in its efforts to deport Iraq nationals who have failed to become officially recognised as asylum seekers, junior justice minister Fred Teeven told Nos television.

Teeven has just returned from a visit to Iraq, but the country is refusing to accept failed asylum seekers who are being deported against their will, Teeven said. Only Iraqi nationals who volunteer to go back are accepted.

‘They were intensive talks because Iraq is not enthusiastic,’ Teeven told the broadcaster. ‘It is a question of taking a deep breath and there are many obstacles to overcome. There is willingness to cooperate on a cautious scale.’

Tents

The group of failed refugees who have been living in tents and former churches in the Netherlands include many Iraqis. They cannot be deported because they don’t have the proper paperwork but are not entitled to official accommodation from the Dutch state.

According to Nos, Iraq says too many of its citizens are returning to be taken care of and found jobs. Last year, over 65,000 families returned from abroad.

Teeven’s predecessor Gerd Leers offered Iraq €5m in development aid to accept deportees but Iraq demanded $10,000 per person instead, Nos said.