Syria relaxes Entry Restrictions on Iraqi Refugees

Syria has temporarily lifted restrictions on the entry of Iraqi refugees but plans to re-impose them after the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, officials and aid workers said on Friday.

Syria this month stopped allowing Iraqis who turn up at its airports and border points to enter the country under new regulations aimed at halting the influx of refugees.

"We relaxed the policy for humanitarian reasons during Ramadan only," one of the officials said. Ramadan, the Muslim fasting period, ends in mid-October.

Witnesses said thousands of refugees have crossed from the main border point of Tanaf into Syria over the past week. The crossing on Syria's desert border with Iraq was virtually empty of passengers after Syria stopped admitting Iraqis without visas on Sept 10.

The refugees began fleeing in large numbers to Syria after the 2003 invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power and brought sectarian tensions to the surface. Syrian officials say their numbers have grown since to reach around 2 million.