CUBAN DOCTORS RELEASED TO THE CUSTODY OF UNHCR

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 003674 SIPDIS DEPT FOR PRM A/S TAFT, PRM/A, PRM/AAA, AF/S, AF/PD, WHA/CCA NAIROBI FOR REFCOORD LONDON FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/10 TAGS: PREF PGOV PHUM PREL ZI SUBJECT: CUBAN DOCTORS RELEASED TO THE CUSTODY OF UNHCR REF: HARARE 3563 CLASSIFIED BY DCM EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 B/D. ¶1. (C) ON JULY 6 UNHCR REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OLUSEYI BAJULAIYE, SPEAKING FROM LUSAKA, INFORMED DCM THAT CUBAN DOCTORS LEONEL CORDOVA RODRIGUEZ AND NORIS DEL CARMEN PENA MARTINEZ WERE RELEASED TO THE CUSTODY OF UNHCR ON JULY 5. BAJULAIYE SAID THAT ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DID SO QUIETLY AND WITHOUT EXPLANATION. THE PAIR ARE SAFE AND COMFORTABLE IN A HOUSE IN HARARE AND PLAN TO TRAVEL TO SWEDEN ON JULY 7, ACCORDING TO THE REGIONAL UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE. THEY WILL DEPART HARARE ABOARD A BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT ACCOMPANIED BY THE LOCAL UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE, JOHN ADU. BAJULAIYE ASKED THAT WE TREAT THIS INFORMATION AS CLOSE-HOLD UNTIL THE COUPLE LEAVES HARARE. (NOTE: IRINA SCHOULGIN, FIRST SECRETARY OF THE SWEDISH EMBASSY IN HARARE, CONFIRMED TO DCM ON JULY 6 THAT HER GOVERNMENT IS EXPECTING THE COUPLE'S ARRIVAL AND ALREADY HAS PLACED SWEDISH VISAS IN THEIR PASSPORTS. END NOTE.) ¶2. (SBU) ALSO ON JULY 6 WE RECEIVED VIA FAX FROM THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSWOMAN ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R-FLORIDA) A COPY OF A PERSONAL LETTER TO DR. NORIS PENA FROM HER RELATIVES IN MIAMI, WITH A REQUEST TO ASSIST IN DELIVERY. WE FORWARDED A COPY OF THE LETTER TO UNHCR'S JOHN ADU THE SAME DAY. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 03674 061708Z MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >