"The UNHCR's representative in Jordan, Stan Bronee, signed a letter of understanding with Jordan's Minister of Interior Qaftan Majali concerning the provision of international protection and humanitarian assistance to persons in need," spokesman Peter Kessler told a news conference in Amman.

"We hope that this official signing, one of many understandings we have reached with the government, will help smooth the way for the entry into the country of more than 200 people waiting at the border," Kessler said.

"We hope word of this understanding will be dispatched to the border quickly," Kessler said.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has received indications from the Jordanian authorities that seven Iraqis and four Palestinians would be transferred from the Al Karama border area to a transit refugee camp in nearby Ruweished.

"But so far no one has been permitted to enter the country. We don't understand why they are being forced to sit in the middle of the no man's land so long," Kessler said.

More than 190 Iranians were also stuck at the border "living in miserable conditions", he said.

They include more than 70 Iraniand who arrived on Friday and 114 Iranians of Kurdish origin who were escorted there by US troops Tuesday night from the Al Tash refugee camp west of Baghdad.

"Persons fleeing Iraq, both Iraqis and other residents, should be provided humanitarian assistance in the Ruweished camps, rather than remain stuck in the middle of nowhere," Kessler insisted.

Jordan has stringent guidelines on admitting refugees into its territory and has set up two temporary camps in Ruweished, one for Iraqis and the other for third country nationals.

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