NAQUORA KURDS STUCK IN AMMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 004748

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA AND PRM; GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2014
TAGS: PREF PREL IZ LE JO UNHCR
SUBJECT: NAQUORA KURDS STUCK IN AMMAN

REF: BEIRUT 1270

Classified By: CDA Doug Silliman for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (U) The nearly two-and-a-half year saga of the "Naquora
Kurds," Iraqi Kurds who attempted to seek political asylum in
Israel and ended up stranded on the Israeli-Lebanese border
under UNIFIL protection (ref),hit a new snag this week when
the UN plane carrying the remaining 14 Kurds from Lebanon to
Iraq experienced technical difficulties and made an emergency
landing at Amman's Marka Airport on June 7. The Dutch Air
Force crew piloting the UN plane refused to continue the
flight to Iraq after the Kurds reportedly became unruly and
refused to return to Iraq. The Dutch Ministry of Defense
subsequently supported the crew's decision and instructed the
crew not to board the Kurds, citing concerns over the crew's
security should the Kurds become unruly mid-flight.


2. (U) Tensions among UNHCR, the Dutch crew, the Kurds and
Jordanian airport authorities came to a boil on June 9, when
the Kurds agreed to reboard the plane and return to Iraq but
Dutch crew members refused to leave Amman. Jordanian airport
authorities then impounded the plane and detained the crew
and several UNHCR staff members for several hours. According
to both UNHCR and Dutch embassy sources, the GOJ insists that
the Kurds cannot remain in Jordan and must leave the same way
they entered, via the Dutch-crewed UN flight.


3. (C) Ali Al Ayed, Director of FM Muasher's private office,
told Charge June 10 that the GOJ is following events closely
but is in no hurry to resolve the impasse. The GOJ is
confident that it will convince Dutch authorities to allow
the crew to ferry the Kurds home to Iraq. UNHCR is pursuing
its own efforts to resolve the situation, with the High
Commissioner for Refugees scheduled to speak to the Dutch
Minister of Defense today, June 10. Should the High
Commissioner's efforts prove unsuccessful, UNHCR will try to
arrange either a charter flight to Irbil or an overland
transfer through the Karameh/Trebil border post. We have
informed CPA-Baghdad and HACC-Amman of this possibility and
will continue to monitor the situation. UNHCR assures us
that the Kurds' planned return is indeed voluntary.


4. (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered.
SILLIMAN