Damascus - Some 244 Palestinian refugees fleeing violence and instability in Iraq crossed the border into Syria Tuesday after a two-month wait for many of them at the Iraqi-Jordanian border.
Nine busloads of refugees arrived in Syria through the Tanef crossing, some 300 kilometres northeast of Damascus, under the auspices of the United Nations Refugees and Work Agency (UNRWA) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Tanef, once a major route for travellers and trade between Iraq and Syria, is a 600 kilometre (375 mile) drive from Baghdad.
Out of those arriving in Syria Tuesday 181 had been stranded since March 19 at the Trebil border point just inside Iraq after being refused entry to Jordan.
They were received at the Syrian border by Ali Mustafa, head of the general administration for Palestinian Arab refugees in Syria, and a three-man delegation from Hamas.
During a visit to Syria on April 20, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar announced that the Syrian leadership, in coordination with the United Nations agencies, had granted entry permission to Palestinian refugees in Iraq who faced pressure in that country.
An additional group of 54 Palestinians in Baghdad, also hoping to gain entry into Syria, left Baghdad on April 22 upon hearing Assad's decision. The group was later allowed to join the initial 181-strong crowd. Nine members of two Palestinian families also joined the group for Tuesday's crossing.
The refugees included around 41 women and 70 children.
'I have been on the border since March 19. I am extremely glad to find a country to live in at a time when all the Arabs have rejected us. I am sure I will live in Syria safely,' said Iyhab Tim, 30, a Palestinian from Baghdad.
Tim said he left Iraq with his wife and child after being subjected to 'many harassments, along with almost all the Palestinian community, and continuous threats in Iraq.'
Another group of 35 Palestinians, mostly men, have also been camping on the Iraqi-Syrian borders for five days now, hoping to be allowed to cross to Syria.
It was not clear whether the Syrian authorities would allow them entry.
