BAGHDAD, Jan. 8 -- Iraq's most publicly available fugitive held a news conference in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, announcing his plans to return to Chicago rather than the Baghdad jail he escaped from last month.
Sammarae, a dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen and engineer who lived outside Chicago for many years, was jailed last year on corruption charges and accused of misusing about $2 billion as electricity minister. He told reporters that he left Iraq because he was afraid for his life and that he would go to the United States if he was assured he would not face legal issues.
"All indications are that I can return," he said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801686.htmlalso from this piece:
The violence in Iraq has precipitated a massive exodus of refugees, the largest displacement in the Middle East since the flight of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948, according to the U.N. refugee agency. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees requested another $60 million to help deal with Iraq's refugee crisis. About 1.7 million Iraqis have been displaced within their country, and as many as 2 million have fled Iraq, the agency estimates.
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