UNHCR ENCOURAGES REFUGEE SELF-RELIANCE AND GOM

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 001535

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2011
TAGS: PBTS PGOV PREL MO
SUBJECT: UNHCR ENCOURAGES REFUGEE SELF-RELIANCE AND GOM
COOPERATION

REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 0036


B. CASABLANCA 00634

C. CASABLANCA 00818

D. RABAT 01219

E. RABAT 01394

F. RABAT 01507

Classified By: A/Polcouns Cherie Lenzen, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: On August 10, A/Polcouns met with Johannes
van der Klaauw, head of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees' (UNHCR) office in Rabat to discuss the July 24
to 27 sit-ins in front of his office and recent developments
relating to the Western Sahara. Van der Klaauw emphasized
that the working relationship between UNHCR and the GOM has
not yet been developed to the point he had hoped it would be.
The GOM is not assisting refugees, but yet would like
UNHCR's status to be permanent. Confidence Building Measures
(CBMs) for Sahrawi families are stagnated. Van der Klaauw
stated that he thought this situation was caused by a
combination of MINURSO wanting to expand its work to
humanitarian issues and by intervention from the Polisario.
End Summary.

--------------
The Sit-In
--------------


2. (C) Between July 24 to 27, approximately seventy
refugees, primarily from the Ivory Coast and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, staged a sit-in at the UNHCR
headquarters. Late on the night of July 27, Van der Klaauw
requested the intervention of a nearby Catholic priest and
the sit-in ended. Van der Klaauw then met with the refugees
at the church. By the time of the meeting, the number of
refugees had swollen to over 200. They threatened to
continue the sit-in; Van der Klaauw responded that the office
would be closed, resolutions to their cases would not be
determined and services would be suspended. The refugees
agreed to continue working with Van der Klaauw to find
solutions to their problems and the sit-in ceased. On July
31, Van der Klaauw invited leaders into his office to discuss
possibilities. The meeting ended with UNHCR offering a
special package of USD 500 for recognized refugees "all
across the board," and not just sit-in participants.


3. (C) While the sit-in problem was contained, the refugee
issues remain mostly unresolved. The lack of resolution
stems from three factors, according to Van der Klaauw: a
lack of funds from Geneva/UNHCR (Note: The UNHCR budget has
been cut. Van der Klaauw did point out that US financial
support to UNHCR is vital. End Note.),the 1400 case backlog
from prior to October 2005 when Van der Klaauw became the
director, and the lack of staff for the Rabat office.

--------------
Who are the Refugees
--------------


4. (C) UNHCR rejects approximately 20 percent of refugee
applicants following initial interviews for not having a
legitimate asylum claim. The result is that there are fewer
economic migrant applications for refugee status, and a
decrease in applicants from Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal, noted
Van der Klaauw (reftel A). There were 2500 cases to be
processed by UNHCR -- 1100 have been decided on, 500 have
been interviewed but not decided on, and 900 are left to be
interviewed. (Note: The number of cases seem to be in flux.
End Note.) He stated that 220 out of the 1100 finished cases
were recognized, or 18 percent. Van der Klaauw said that in
addition to these old cases, UNHCR receives approximately 500
applications a month, for which the acceptance rate is higher
because they are initially rejecting more. (Note: The
result will be a higher percentage of asylum cases. End
Note.)


5. (C) Van der Klaauw stated that the majority of refugee
applicants are from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the
Ivory Coast. Refugees from the Ivory Coast tend to be young,
single men who are escaping the warring factions. He
explained that many Ivorians are recognized under an
"extended mandate" and can be protected under the UNHCR

extended interpretation of the mandate to include the
category of "generalized violence." Since the GOM has a
policy of "no return" for Ivorians, they are given refugee
status. (Note: Citizens from Senegal and Mali do not require
visas to enter Morocco. Van der Klaauw identified a "class
system" in the migrant community -- French speakers are more
acceptable than others. End Note.) Thirty percent of those
from the Democratic Republic of Congo are women with
children. Many of the Congolese women, according to Van der
Klaauw, are victims of sexual violence either from incidents
in the Congo, or, from the trip (approximately seven months)
to reach Morocco; and, unfortunately, there is a lack of
medical care. He gave the example of a 14 year-old Congolese
girl who was raped en route from Kinshasa. Van der Klaauw is
attempting to obtain third country asylum for her. He noted
that although these cases of sexual violence are not
necessarily refugees, they are still victims who require
psychological treatment.


6. (C) Van der Klaauw explained that the refugee population
remains modest -- 200 refugees had been recognized by the
UNHCR in the past 40 years, i.e., prior to Van der Klaauw's
arrival in 2005. Of these 200, he said that 15-20 cases
still need to be resolved. Van der Klaauw described the
growing expectations of refugees as a "dependency syndrome."
Many refugees expect UNHCR to pay them a monthly stipend and
pay for private school. He emphasized the limited resources
of the UNHCR's budget and that priority is given to the
physically impaired, aged, women and children. The UNHCR has
succeeded in getting refugee children formally recognized by
the public school system, although it cannot afford to
finance children in private schools. He explained how the
UNHCR recently had to finance a Christian funeral for a
refugee, which cost 7000 dirhams (approximately USD 750).
(Note: A Muslim burial costs between 400-500 dirhams. End
Note.) Van der Klaauw emphasized the importance of
rectifying the misconceptions of the UN's role and helping
refugees shift to a model of self-reliance.


7. (C) More refugees are seeking resettlement in third
countries, according to Van der Klaauw. He explained that
resettlement is possible for only a minority of cases, e.g.,
women and children at risk and those with medical conditions.
Van der Klaauw said that the UNHCR wishes to avoid making
Morocco a "pathway to other countries," because it cannot
afford to play such a role.

--------------
Getting the GOM Involved
--------------


8. (C) Van der Klaauw noted the difficulty in furthering
cooperation with the GOM if UNHCR cannot provide figures on
the future refugee population and prove to them that it is
manageable. If UNHCR uses the average of cases recently
recognized, 18 percent, it estimates approximately 500 new
refugees yearly, according to Van der Klaauw. He affirmed
that it is not the UNHCR's goal to remain permanently in
Morocco -- they hope to "phase out" and allow the GOM to
"take over." Van der Klaauw said he hopes for the creation
of an "Asylum Body," or a parastatal composed of specially
trained officers from the Ministry of the Interior (MOI),
asylum experts, and law enforcement officers. Van der
Klaauw, however, recognized challenges in engaging the GOM.
He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) asked him
to talk to the MOI, which indicated to him that "things are
moving." He reported that N. Zerouali (MOI) told him to "be
patient," and that a strategy was being worked on. Van der
Klaauw was optimistic and said he knew the GOM recognized the
seriousness of the UNHCR. He also said the GOM is in the
process of discussing setting up a central asylum policy. Van
der Klaauw's goal is to involve the GOM in the legislative
process. He wants to encourage the release of joint
decisions and the specialized training of GOM officials. He
also discussed cooperation with other UN agencies and GOM
agencies on issues such as economics, trafficking, and
asylum-seekers which are related to refugee issues. Van der
Klaauw provided a copy of a report, entitled "Addressing
Mixed Migratory Movements: A 10-Point Plan of Action," which
he officially gave to the MFA in July; however, this document
is still being negotiated (reftel B).


9. (C) Prior to the July Rabat conference on migration
(reftel C),the UNHCR prepared an interim agreement and
expected this to be signed during the High Commissioner's
visit on July 10. The agreement defined the UNHCR's
"interim" status, meant to lead to permanent status but the
GOM returned it with text added indicating a permanent
status. The agreement was not signed by UNHCR; Van der
Klaauw indicated that the agreement might be signed in
October.

--------------
Other Actors
--------------


10. (C) Van der Klaauw noted the importance of a
collaborative approach on refugee issues. He mentioned the
possibility of Oxfam, but said their scope is limited to
creating safe havens for married women raped by Moroccans.
Van der Klaauw said UNIFEM expressed interest but worries
that they are not very operational. He also underlined the
importance of small projects, such as skills training, that
will boost self-reliance. He said he wants to see new
approaches and activities, such as community service, to
create new employment and also mentioned encouraging
industries to give jobs to refugees. He recognized the
difficulties in finding employment opportunities since the
UNHCR registration is not officially recognized by the GOM.
(Note: The GOM has said that the UNHCR is not yet an
authority on refugee recognition because of its 2005
"backlog," during which it allegedly handed out papers "left
and right," according to Van der Klaauw. End Note.)

--------------
The Western Sahara
--------------


11. (C) Van der Klaauw said that he now has some
responsibility for managing the confidence building measures
(CBMs) process, but that it is not operational. The Laayoune
office is supervised by Alexandra Morelli. He noted that
there is a regional plan to which they would like to adhere.
On the one hand, Van der Klaauw recognized that UNHCR had
changed the CBMs; and, on the other hand, he noted that the
Polisario are responsible for the current stagnation (reftels
D, E, F).


12. (C) According to Van der Klaauw, Rabat is often
perceived as the sole actor in the Western Sahara and that
there are separate constituencies. He also noted that the
GOM is angry because of MINURSO's ideas and suggestions to be
involved beyond its peace-keeping role. He recognized the
GOM's complaints that the CBMs were politicized but affirmed
that the UNHCR administered them correctly and had nothing to
do with whether some misused it. He also acknowledged the
sensitivity of the Western Sahara and how quickly people
judge all statements as political, i.e., either supporting
Morocco or supporting the Polisario.

******************************************
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
******************************************

RILEY