UNHCR OPERATIONS STRUGGLING IN LIBYA; BUT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000332


STATE FOR NEA/MAG, PRM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2015
TAGS: PHUM PREF KPAL LY
SUBJECT: UNHCR OPERATIONS STRUGGLING IN LIBYA; BUT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
FUTURE

CLASSIFIED BY: Ethan Goldrich, Acting Principal Officer, USLO
Tripoli, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1. (C) During a series of meetings over the last three months,
the Tripoli-based UNHCR representative, Mohamed Hantosh Alwash,
has conveyed information about local operations and ongoing
negotiations with the Libyan government to sign a Memorandum of
Understanding. UNHCR's primary interlocutor in the Libyan
government is Ramadan Irhiam, the Director of International
Organizations at the People's Bureau for Foreign Liaison and
International Cooperation (MFA). During the last three years,
UNHCR has tried without success to negotiate parameters for its
local operation. Currently the Libyan government does not
officially recognize the office; it will not accept note verbale
or other communications from UNHCR and forces the operation to
function as a subset of the UNDP office, contrary to the UN
organization chart.


2. (C) Alwash believes the Libyans have not been able to
determine any benefit to having a UNHCR operation in the
country. His goal is to use his contacts and local experience
(Alwash worked at this UNHCR office in the 1980s and helped with
the repatriation of Egyptians) to convince Libyans the UN exit
strategies and voluntary repatriation solutions will solve its
problem with a "revolving door" for sub-Saharan African economic
migrants and other refugees. Alwash plans to give his MFA
interlocutor, Irhiam, a draft paper outlining refugee problems
faced by Libya, along with proposed solutions.


3. (U) UNHCR experiences visa problems similar to those of
USLO and other missions. Alwash has one assigned staff member
who has been waiting over seven months for permission to enter
Libya. With his current roster of six employees (one stateless
person, one Iraqi, one Sudanese, and three Eritrians),Alwash
says he cannot begin to fulfill his portfolio of
responsibilities for repatriation, protection and resettlement
of refugees. He also said that UNHCR had been trying for over a
year to send auditing teams to survey the local office's
accounting, but the temporary duty travelers had not been
granted visas. Alwash also said UNHCR tried to send a
communications expert to set up computer operations, but the
Libyans also denied a visa to the information specialist. The
office, given the lack of cooperation from Libyan authorities,
does not have much in terms of funding or other resources.


4. (U) An estimated 30,000 Palestinian refugees live in Libya
according to Alwash. He said they don't have a "protection"
problem. The Palestinians have trouble finding employment and
housing or registering newborn children. Most of the
Palestinians carry Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese or Egyptian
documentation that is difficult if not impossible to renew.
The documentation is criticial to the refugees ability to find
work, especially now that Libya institutes regular "sweeps" to
deport illegal laborers. UNHCR concentrates its efforts on
helping refugees work with local consulates to get new identity
papers.


5. (U) Alwash said Libya's principal challenge was illegal
immigrants, especially sub-Saharan Africans. His contacts
reported that 590 illegal immigrants traveled from Libya to
Malta during September, and great numbers also travel to Italy
and other Mediterrean countries. The September figure is
considered representative of an average monthly immigration
flow. When Alwash has the cooperation of the Libyan
authorities, he hopes to make arrangements for USCIS to visit
and assess the refugee population. He thought that 2007 was
the most likely time for a first USCIS trip to Libya. In the
meantime, Alwash has said he might ask for USG assistance with
one particular resettlement case. (Comment: We expect that any
USCIS visit here would be preceded by a visit from the Regional
Refugee Coordinator. End Comment)


6. (U) While it could takes months to finalize an MOU, Alwash
is currently focusing on coordination with local "NGOs". The
term is in quotes because the Libyan NGOs all report to the
Jamarhiryah government bureaucracy at some level. Alwash
utilizes the Al-Wahfa Society to implement some part of the
UNHCR care and maintenance program for refugees. He is also
trying to form a partnership with the Al-Qadhafi Foundation for
Charitable Activiites (under the direction of Qadhafi's son,
Saif al-Islam) and the Watasimo Foundation (under the direction
of Qadhafi's daughter, Aisha). Alwash is also coordinating to
some degree with the World Islamic Call Society (WICS),which he
described as "generally helpful." Under the sponsorship of
one of these organizations, Alwash plans to hold a conference on
refugee issues during the second half of 2006.


7. (C) December 18, Alwash told USLO that he was optimistic
about the future. Based on recent conversations with Libyan
officials, Alwash doesn't think an MOU will be signed anytime
soon, but he does get a sense that there is a general
"reconsidering" of their point of view.


8. (C) Biographic Note: Mohamed Hantosh Alwash, a Canadian
citizen of Iraqi origin, in his forties, represents the UNHCR in
Tripoli. He previously served in Tripoli during the 1980s, as
well as in Geneva, Beirut and Amman. During his previous
assignment in Tripoli, he worked on the repatriation issues
dealing with Palestinians and Egyptians. He has two children
enrolled in a French-language local school.

BERRY


NNNN