Arab League chief calls on US to reconsider entry ban

By Khaled Ibrahim

CAIRO

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit has called on the new U.S. administration to reconsider its temporary ban on the entry into the country of nationals from six Arab states.

Aboul-Gheit voiced concern over stricter immigration policies the new U.S. administration has vowed to adopt, slamming what he described as the imposition of "unjustified restrictions on the entry of citizens of Arab countries to the U.S." and the temporary suspension of Syrian refugees’ entrance to the country.

"These restrictions contradict the positive developments the world has seen in recent decades, characterized by openness between nations and allowing the free movement of people," the Arab League chief said in a Sunday statement.

He went on to warn against the move’s potentially harmful effect on the "unity" of refugees’ families and on "continued dialogue between Arab and American society".

"The suspension of Syrian refugee inflows into the U.S., even if temporary, is a source of particular concern, given the depth of the tragedy Syrians face, which has led to massive refugee flows in recent years," he added.

Last Friday, newly-inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the entry of refugees into the U.S. for a three-month period.

The order also banned Syrian, Iraqi, Sudanese, Libyan, Somali, Yemeni and Iranian nationals from entering the U.S. for a 90-day period.