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