A law requiring Iraqi nationals to acquire visas before travelling to Jordan went into effect on May 1. The move must not be viewed as a change of policy vis-à-vis Iraqis, but rather as a way of regulating their entry into and departure from the country.

More than half a million Iraqis entered the Kingdom after the US invaded Iraq in 2003, adding an unaffordable burden on the economy. This made it necessary to put into effect a system that regulates their admission and residence in the country.

Given the fact that applications for entry into the country can be easily processed within two weeks at the most for a nominal fee of JD10, Iraqis wishing to come to Jordan can still do so as long as their records are satisfactory to our authorities.

A bigger problem remains however. The around half a million Iraqis living in Jordan require a permanent solution to which the international community must contribute.

There was hope that stability and peace could be restored to Iraq soon enough, so that Iraqis who fled the country because of fear for their life or from persecution could go back. This has not happened, and by no fault of the Iraqis.

The responsibility for the dire situation in Iraq and the misery that befell its people lies first and foremost with the US, which started an unjustified war on Baghdad. Now, more than five years later, the situation in Iraq remains unbearable for most of its inhabitants.

Clearly the permanent solution to the plight of Iraqis who fled their homeland lies in ending the occupation and finding a permanent political solution to the conflict in Iraq.

All efforts thus far have failed to restore a sense of normalcy to the country; whatever has been done was not enough or, worse, was wrong.

Yet Jordan cannot be made to bear the consequences of failed policies in Iraq. Unless the international community begins to share this responsibility, and fast, Jordan and other neighbouring countries that received hundreds of thousands of Iraqis will be forced to increase their border control.

Iraqis who continue to reside in Jordan are given a grace period to rectify their status in the country. At the same time, they will continue to be treated as guests and offered all possible services, including education for their children.

Jordan can only do so much. If the international community wishes to see better living conditions for the Iraqis, it should acquit itself of its duties and lend support to those that offered them shelter.