Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05GENEVA1380
2005-06-06 12:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
US Mission Geneva
Cable title:  

UNHCR: NEW COMMISSIONER OFF TO A STRONG START,

Tags:  PREF UNHCR 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 001380

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF, PRM
USEU FOR MEZNAR, USUN FOR MALY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2010
TAGS: PREF UNHCR
SUBJECT: UNHCR: NEW COMMISSIONER OFF TO A STRONG START,
FOCUSED ON BURUNDI

Classified By: DCM Lynn Cassel for reasons 1.4 B AND D

(C) Summary: Incoming High Commissioner Antonio Guterres is
having a strong impact on the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),even though he does not
officially start until June 15. On June 2, Guterres held an
"all staff" meeting in Geneva and sent a letter to
field-based staff. In both communications, he stressed his
intention to focus on UNHCR's core mandate and expressed his
respect for the challenges faced by field staff. Although
some voiced concern about "another politician" following the
painful term of former HC Ruud Lubbers, UNHCR staff members
said they were generally impressed by Guterres' energy,
eloquence, and focus on the mandate. Guterres' specific
praise for Assistant High Commissioner Kamel Morjane (widely
considered his chief competitor for the HC position) was
greatly appreciated, as was his ability to switch back and
forth from English to French. On June 3, Guterres took
decisions on some critical -- and long-pending --
administrative issues, then focused his attention on the
situation in Burundi/Rwanda. Guterres ordered staff to take
four specific actions related to Burundi/Rwanda (described
below.) On Guterres' instructions, acting High Commissioner
Wendy Chamberlin spoke with Ambassador Moley seeking U.S.
diplomatic interventions with the Governments of Burundi and
Rwanda. Chamberlin repeated this same plea to the UK
Ambassador, while Guterres reportedly spoke directly with PRM
A/S Dewey and EC Commissioner Louis Michel. According to
UNHCR staff, Guterres and Michel had three conversations over
the weekend, interspersed by Michel's calls to the Presidents
of Burundi and Rwanda. As of June 6, Guterres has not yet
taken a decision on whether to travel to Burundi/Rwanda June

20. End Summary.

RWANDA/BURUNDI
-- -------------- --------------


2. (C) Guterres is thinking about traveling to
Rwanda/Burundi during his first full week on the job, which
coincides with World Refugee Day (June 20). Some senior
UNHCR officials believe the promise of this visit could
motivate the Governments of Burundi and Rwanda to take
necessary steps to cease refoulement and provide better
protection and assistance to the refugees. Guterres

instructed UNHCR to take the following steps:

- acting HC Wendy Chamberlin to contact Ambassador Moley and
his UK counterpart officially seeking our diplomatic
interventions with the two governments;

- acting HC Chamberlin to consult with UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights Louise Arbour to ensure collaboration of
efforts;

- UNHCR to deploy an emergency team to conduct Refugee Status
Determinations (RSDs) and to register the refugee population.
This team is to include officers with a special focus on
women and children;

- UNHCR to make it clear to both sides that UNHCR wants to
help find a solution but that this help is conditioned on no
interference in its registration effort and on a cessation of
pressure for the refugees to return immediately to Rwanda.
The "carrot" to be offered along with this firm message is
that new HC Guterres will travel to the region on his first
trip and will highlight positive steps, if they are taken, by
both sides. In describing Guterres' thinking, acting HC
Chamberlin stressed that Guterres has not yet decided to go
and will only do so if it can be part of a solution.
Guterres is likely to travel to Addis Ababa to consult with
the Africa Union, if he cannot travel to Rwanda for World
Refugee Day.


3. (C) In a separate conversation, the UNHCR Officer for
Rwanda and Burundi told Mission Officer that, per field
reports, the Rwandans are now trying to reduce the profile of
the issue. The UNHCR officer commented that the Rwandans seem
to want a Guterres visit, but not with refoulement at the top
of his agenda. They seem to be trying to defuse the
situation. The GOR reportedly has agreed to UNHCR
participation in their next consultations with the GOB on the
issue.

Other Administrative Decisions
--------------

4. (SBU) In his first days in Geneva, Guterres reportedly
also decided:

-- to accept donors' (including the U.S.'s) desire to
increase the perceived independence of the Inspector-General
by amending the I-G's terms of reference to include notation
that the High Commissioner would not dismiss an I-G without
prior consultation with the Executive Committee (ExCom).

-- to continue to pursue a new position of Assistant High
Commissioner for Protection.

-- to move forward with the creation of a Results Based
Management office, under the Deputy High Commissioner, and to
look at the structure of budget and planning functions.


5. (C) Comment: Guterres seems to have gotten off to a
strong start with his senior Management Team. Chamberlin
speaks highly of him, while Assistant High Commissioner
Morjane -- who was also in the running for the HC job --
reportedly greatly appreciated positive remarks during the
all staff meeting. Morjane seems to be re-thinking his
desire to leave immediately, although he is still pursuing
other possibilities within the UN or with the Tunisian
government. Lower-level UNHCR staff with whom Mission
officers spoke also were extremely positive about their first
impressions of Guterres. Guterres has scheduled a courtesy
call with Ambassador Moley June 14. His June plans also
include a week of June 27 trip to New York and Washington.
In New York, he plans to meet the Secretary-General (SYG),
Deputy SYG Frechette, Relief Coordinator Egeland, other UN
agency heads, and key NY-based NGOs. In Washington, he hopes
to meet the Secretary and A/S Dewey as well as
Washington-based NGOs.
Moley