By ELIANE ENGELER
Associated Press Writer
GENEVA (AP) - The U.N. chief on Tuesday urged Iraq's neighbors to keep their borders open to Iraqis fleeing violence and implored other countries to share the burden of Iraqi refugees.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke by video to a gathering of more than 450 officials from 60 countries, the first global attempt to address a crisis that threatens to spread throughout the Middle East.
``For neighboring countries this means keeping borders open,'' he said. ``For other countries it means continuing to provide asylum or other forms of protection.''
The U.N. refugee agency estimates that around 2 million Iraqis have fled to neighboring countries, including many uprooted before the war began in 2003. In addition, some 1.9 million Iraqis have been displaced within the country.
Most have stayed in neighboring Syria and Jordan, driving up prices and stretching health care and other basic services.
The conference opened Tuesday with a plea from the United Nations' refugee chief to tackle a problem he said had gone unnoticed for too long.
``Almost 4 million Iraqis are watching us today,'' said Antonio Guterres, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He called the Iraqi refugee crisis the most serious in the Middle East since the displacement of Palestinians following the creation of Israel in 1948.
Guterres said countries worldwide needed to contribute to alleviating the situation for Iraqis.
``Keeping borders open, ensuring Iraqis seeking safety are not forced back into danger and are given access to protection and humane living conditions ... these are responsibilities for all, not just the countries in the region,'' he said.
In addition to Jordan and Syria, Guterres also commended Egypt, Lebanon, Iran and Turkey for accepting refugees. Some 50,000 Iraqis continue to flee their homeland every month, according to UNHCR.
The London-based rights group Amnesty International said Monday, ``The Middle East is on the verge of a new humanitarian crisis unless the European Union, U.S. and other states take urgent and concrete measures.''
Amnesty called on governments to set up generous resettlement programs that ``should go far beyond token numbers and should constitute a significant part of the solution to the current crisis.''
Washington already has said it will allow about 7,000 Iraqis into the United States this year - up from 202 in 2006 - and will pay more to help Iraq's neighbors cope with the surge of refugees.
UNHCR said it wants to permanently resettle 20,000 of the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees by the end of the year.
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Associated Press correspondent Bradley S. Klapper contributed to this report.
El Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados, António Guterres, hizo un llamado a la Comunidad Internacional para que brinde ayuda genuina a los más de 4 millones de refugiados iraquíes que han sido desplazados de sus hogares durante la guerra y de los cuales aproximadamente la mitad ha abandonado el país.

La Cruz Roja Internacional ha solicitado la suma de US $15 millones para asistir a unas 100.000 familias iraquíes.

El Secretario General de la ONU, Ban Ki-moon, ha pedido a los países vecinos que continúen proporcionando ayuda a los refugiados.

Siria es el país que ha recibido el mayor número de refugiados, aproximadamente 1,2 millones, seguido por Jordania, Egipto, Líbano, Irán y Turquía.

Arabia Saudita, el país más rico de la región, ha sido criticado por su falta de solidaridad con los refugiados y porque está construyendo una barrera en la frontera con Iraq para evitar que estos entren al país.