UZBEK REFUGEES IN KYRGYZSTAN AND ROMANIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 002713

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR PRM/MCE, EUR, AND SS EXEC OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL KG UZ RO UNHCR
SUBJECT: UZBEK REFUGEES IN KYRGYZSTAN AND ROMANIA

REF: GENEVA 2093


1. (U) Summary: On 26 October, Ambassador received a letter
from Anne Willem Biljeveld, Director of the Division of
External Relations at the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR),providing an update on the status of the
refugees who fled Uzbekistan in May 2005. Paragraph 4
repeats the text of the letter, which includes financial
aspects of the response to this outflow. On November 2,
UNHCR's Europe Bureau reported that the resettlement of Uzbek
refugees currently housed in Romania should be completed by
the end of January 2006. The following day, UNHCR CASWANAME
Director told RMA officers that the Kyrgyz government
continues to cooperate with UNHCR, and that UNHCR is doing
contingency planning for a massive outflow of refugees should
political upheaval occur in Uzbekistan. End summary.


2. (U) In a November 2 meeting of the Working Group on
Resettlement, UNHCR Europe Bureau Representatives said that
officers detailed to Timisoara, Romania, had completed
Refugee Status Determinations on the 429 Uzbeks who were
evacuated there on July 29. Jose Belleza, who directed the
UNHCR referral team at Timisoara for three months, said that
UNHCR expects to resettle the refugees to countries which
came forward, including the U.S., within 3 months. He said
that 338 names have already been &submitted8 (referred) to
resettlement states for processing, and that 25 have already
departed Romania. None of the cases submitted thus far has
been rejected by a resettlement state, and interviews are
proceeding expeditiously owing to thorough case preparation.
In response to a question, Belleza noted that the MOU between
the GOR and UNHCR covered a six month period but also
provided for up to two, six-month extensions. He
acknowledged that the resettlement process will extend at
least one month beyond the initial six months and said that
UNHCR Bucharest anticipated agreement from the GOR, which it
has contacted regarding the likely need for an extension.


3. (SBU) CASWANAME Director Ekber Menemencioglu told RMA
officers November 3 that UNHCR continues to be concerned
about additional Uzbeks who fled to Kyrgyzstan and remain
&underground,8 most often staying with relatives. As
winter approaches, some of these people are identifying
themselves, but must be careful to avoid Uzbek security
agents operating in Kyrgyzstan. UNHCR has no plans to refer
them for resettlement but tries to assist them in place.
Menemencioglu confirmed that UNHCR continues to get good
cooperation from the Kyrgyz government, despite the pressure
it is facing from Uzbekistan, and that it continues to have
access to the four remaining Uzbeks in Kyrgyz detention who
have a pending extradition request from Uzbekistan.
Menemencioglou, who tends to be one of UNHCR's more
forthcoming (and sometimes alarmist) interlocutors, added
that UNHCR is also doing &virtual8 contingency planning for
flows of up to 500 thousand refugees in the event of
political upheaval in Uzbekistan.


4. (U) Begin text of Biljeveld letter

Dear Sir: I am pleased to share with you a summary of the
current situation of the Uzbek refugees who fled their
country following the violent events in Andijan, Republic of
Uzbekistan, in May 2005, including an overview of the
management of the financial requirements of the refugee
crisis.
As you are aware, on 13-14 May 2005, several hundred persons
sought refuge in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan due to violent
events in Andijan, Republic of Uzbekistan. A group of 426
were accommodated in Sasik camp in Jalal-Abad District and
another group of 33 were separated from other arrivals.
Following the Kyrgyz Prosecutor General's request, 29 of them
were kept in detention in Osh. Four Uzbek asylum-seekers were
forcefully returned to Uzbekistan to an uncertain fate. The
precarious situation and insecurity of the camp close to the
Uzbek border as well as danger of deportation for those in
detention required immediate action to ensure their
protection as the risk of their forcible return to Uzbekistan
had dramatically increased. Despite laudable efforts of the
Government of Kyrgyzstan and the international community,
ensuring the protection of this group in Kyrgyzstan in line
with humanitarian and refugee law principles was challenging.
The Kyrgyz authorities had acknowledged this insecure
situation and repeatedly intervened at various levels with
UNHCR to help them identify and support a solution to the
dangerous protection situation of the group.
Thus, a humanitarian transfer operation was conducted
starting on 27 July lasting for two days in which 439
individuals were transported from Sasik camp in Jalal-Abad
and the detention centre in Osh to the airport in Bishkek
including 14 Uzbek refugees who were released from detention.
Remaining 15 Uzbeks of concern to UNHCR were kept in
detention in Osh. In the early hours of 29 July, the group in
Bishkek boarded an airplane to Timisoara, Romania, the
Government of which had accepted in an extraordinary
humanitarian gesture to temporarily accommodate them as an
urgent protection measure, pending emergency resettlement of
the group to other countries.
For the actual humanitarian transfer, UNHCR has collaborated
with IOM and made use of the Rapid Response Transportation
Fund, which was established in 2000 to respond to emergency
situations requiring the rapid organisation of transport for
people at risk, in an effort to mobilize existing resources
rather than promptly appealing to the donor community for
extra support.
On 16 September, 11 of the 15 Uzbek detainees who were
accepted for emergency resettlement were released and
directly resettled to Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden.
UNHCR remains concerned about the fate of the remaining four
Uzbeks still in detention in Kyrgyzstan.
Of the persons in Romania, all 439 had been recognized by
UNHCR as mandate refugees prior to arrival on a prima facie
basis. In Romania, the group has been undergoing further
interviews to verify bio-data, family composition and refugee
status including examination of any exclusion considerations.
Two special UNHCR teams were deployed for these tasks.
Verification of bio-data and family composition, which was
undertaken by the resettlement team, was mostly completed on
1 September. It emerged that a majority, if not all, of the
refugees have close family members still in Uzbekistan and/or
Kyrgyzstan.
In-depth refugee status verification process of the cases,
including examination of any exclusion considerations, has
been undertaken by the refugee status verification team and
completed on 14 October. All 439 Uzbek asylum-seekers
currently in Romania were granted refugee status. The refugee
status verification was initially delayed due in particular
to difficulties in identifying sufficient qualified
non-national Uzbek interpreters.
The resettlement submission process is current in progress.
Thanks to all the resettlement countries for their
willingness in sharing the burden, a total of 25 Uzbek
refugees have already departed.
UNHCR assured the Government of Romania that the temporary
stay will not represent a burden for the flood-struck country
and that UNHCR will bear costs related to the temporary
accommodation of these Uzbek refugees.
Immediately after the influx, funds were mobilized within the
emergency mechanism of the Operational Reserve of UNHCR to
provide international protection and humanitarian assistance
to the Uzbek population first in Kyrgyzstan, then in Romania.
Resources within UNHCR were further carefully analyzed and
funds from less urgent operations were reallocated to this
emergency in an intra-organizational approach. The total
budget of this operation amounts to a USD 2,505,700 (USD
1,400,500 for the emergency in Kyrgyzstan and USD 1,105,200
for the emergency in Romania).
We wish to thank you for your unflagging diplomatic efforts
and assistance during this emergency and would greatly
appreciate your ongoing support.
Please accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest
consideration.
End text of Biljeveld letter.
Moley