DEMARCHE TO RESETTLE PROTECTED MIGRANTS FROM

UNCLAS PARIS 007478 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF FR SMIG SZ SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO RESETTLE PROTECTED MIGRANTS FROM GUANTANAMO REF: STATE 181903 ¶1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel points November 14 to MFA Office Director-equivalent for Asylum and Immigration Pierre Brethes, MFA Desk officer-equivalent for the United States Sameh Safty, and MFA Desk officer-equivalent for Cuba Othman El Kashtoul, urging the French government to consider resettling annually up to a fixed number of protected migrants from the Guantanamo Bay Migrant Operations Center. ¶2. (SBU) Brethes and Safty posed the several follow-up questions concerning the request that would need to be answered before France could even begin to consider receiving one or more of the migrants: -- How large is the group of individuals from which the United States government chooses those to resettle? -- Are the individuals being resettled in danger of persecution by groups other than their home governments? -- What is the specific, official status of the individuals being resettled in the United States? Refugee, illegal immigrant, or other? -- By what means do U.S. authorities determine that the individuals being resettled have a "well-founded fear of persecution or torture"? ¶3. (SBU) While Barthes did not explicitly reject the possibility of participating in resettlement of migrants, he nonetheless emphasized that France has a standing policy against quota-based immigration and would only consider candidates on a case-by-case basis. Brethes noted in the same context that France was second only to the United States in its openness to immigration and that Haitians already figured among the most numerous immigrant populations in France. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: It was not entirely clear whether the GOF's questions were aimed to make possible or foreclose accepting any migrants. What did seem clear is that the GOF would accept only a small number at a maximum, and under no circumstances will commit to receiving any predetermined number on an annual basis. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON