UNHCR PREPARED TO RESETTLE FINAL FOUR UZBEK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000642 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016 TAGS: PREF PGOV PREL PHUM UZ KG SUBJECT: UNHCR PREPARED TO RESETTLE FINAL FOUR UZBEK REFUGEES; CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR FUTURE REFUGEES REF: A. BISHKEK 624 ¶B. BISHKEK 242 Classified By: DCM Donald Lu, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On April 18, UNHCR Bishkek Chief Carlos Zaccagnini told PolOff that France had agreed to accept the accused drug dealer who is one of four Uzbek refugees remaining in Kyrgyzstan. Zaccagnini said the decision to accept this refugee means that all four of the Uzbek refugees that have been detained in Osh since mid-2005 have now been offered refugee status by specific countries. Despite this, action is unlikely on this cases until all four have had their cases reviewed by the Supreme Court, which has yet to set a hearing date for the two still awaiting their day in court. Reftel A describes discussion that these four may be forcibly repatriated to Uzbekistan. Zaccagnini described as excellent Kyrgyz government cooperation with UNHCR to plan for the possibility of further Uzbek refugee flows into Kyrgyzstan, adding that food, blankets and tents sufficient for 4,000 refugees had already been stockpiled in Osh, with considerably larger stocks on standby outside the country. END SUMMARY. FRANCE AGREES TO ACCEPT FINAL REFUGEE -------------- ¶2. (C) Zaccagnini said that France had agreed to accept the Uzbek refugee, Tashbayev, who had been imprisoned in Uzbekistan prior to the Andijon events on drug charges. Zaccagnini said the French decision to accept him was unexpected, in that both Sweden and the Netherlands had previously declined to offer him resettlement. Zaccagnini said the French decision means that all four of the Uzbeks that have been in detention in Osh since July of 2005 have now been accepted by individual countries for resettlement abroad. ¶3. (SBU) Nevertheless, he added, the Kyrgyz Government told UNHCR that no decision on whether to release to UNHCR or deport to Uzbekistan any of the four will be made until all have had their cases heard by the Supreme Court (reftel b). Zaccagnini said the Supreme Court had yet to set a date for the final two hearings. He predicted that given the current political turmoil in the country, the trials would not happen anytime soon. Zaccagnini said that, according to National Security Secretary Miroslav Niyazov, the government would wait until all of the trials are completed, then take "a political decision" on where to send the refugees. CONTINGENCY PLANNING MOVING AHEAD -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Zaccagnini described as excellent Kyrgyz government cooperation with UNHCR to plan for any future refugee inflows from Uzbekistan. Zaccagnini said Niyazov had instructed the State Committee for Migration to work with UNHCR to develop such plans, and said he was planning a trip to southern Kyrgyzstan with the head of the State Agency to continue such planning. Zaccagnini said that in the course of his work with the Kyrgyz government on this issue, it has become clear to him that in the event of unrest in Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz government would likely make no effort to prevent refugees from entering Kyrgyzstan. ¶5. (SBU) Zaccagnini said UNHCR and the State Committee were currently working on a joint UNHCR-Kyrgyz memorandum, outlining the responsibilities of each in the event of a refugee influx from Uzbekistan. He added that on May 14, UNHCR will provide training for Kyrgyz Government agencies and NGOs that would be expected to respond to any refugee crisis. ¶6. (SBU) Zaccagnini said the entire UN Mission in Kyrgyzstan worked together to come up with a country plan to deal with BISHKEK 00000642 002 OF 002 any potential influxes of Uzbek refugees. He characterized the country plan as an extraordinary effort, in that UNDP and UNICEF rarely played any role in the past in refugee matters. Zaccagnini said the country plan was part of a larger UNHCR regional effort to prepare for the possibility of large refugee outflows from Uzbekistan. Zaccagnini said food, blankets and tents sufficient for 4,000 refugees had already been stockpiled in Osh, with considerably larger stocks on standby outside the country. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: The future still looks gloomy for these remaining four refugees. The determination on the part of the Kyrgyz Government to work with UNHCR on contingency planning, however, is a refreshing change from last summer. Then, the Kyrgyz Government seemed to believe that contingency planning wasn't necessary, because the Uzbek government would never again allow refugees to flee the country. This time, the government appears determined to plan for the worst, probably out of the knowledge that they would be quickly overwhelmed by even a small influx of refugees. The news on the Uzbek refugees still in detention was not surprising ) the government has long held that no decision would be made on any of the four until all of them exhaust their legal appeals. Given the current high level of political tensions in Bishkek, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will decide on the final two soon. YOVANOVITCH