IRAQIS IN EGYPT FACE CHALLENGES OBTAINING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002805 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON PHUM PREF EG IZ SUBJECT: IRAQIS IN EGYPT FACE CHALLENGES OBTAINING SERVICES, JOBS Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Iraqis in Egypt are finding it difficult to obtain education, health services and job opportunities. More established Iraqi residents are depleting their savings, and newer arrivals are less wealthy than their predecessors. Although the GOE is publicly committed to providing education, health and housing services to the approximately 150,000 Iraqis in Egypt, Iraqis say that GOE restrictions on public services, especially education and health, are having a negative impact as more Iraqis continue to arrive. Egyptians, on the other hand, say that resentment towards Iraqis is building over competition in a tight domestic job market and rising real estate prices partially attributable to Iraqi demand for housing. MFA contacts argue that Iraqis in Egypt do not face hardships beyond those that Egyptians face, and thus do not deserve "extra" services from the government. End summary. -------------- Who Are Iraqis In Egypt? -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Initially, the Iraqis who began coming to Egypt to escape a deteriorating security situation were relatively wealthy, according to UNHCR/Cairo. They were able to buy property in Egypt, which under Egyptian law gives them local residency status, allowing them to work and enroll their children in Egyptian public schools. Although public health care is reserved for Egyptians, Iraqis were wealthy enough to obtain care at private facilities. ¶3. (SBU) As the conflict in Iraq has continued, however, newer arrivals are often less wealthy, and those who have been in Egypt for several years have begun to deplete their funds, according to Barbara Harrel, professor of Forced Migration and Refugees Studies at the American University in Cairo (AUC). Harrel told Pol LES, and UNHCR confirmed, that these newer arrivals are increasingly registering with UNHCR to obtain refugee status. Although this does not allow them to work, it does allow them to enroll their children in Egyptian public schools. However, of an estimated 150,000 Iraqis in Egypt, UNHCR has registered only approximately 10,000. (Note: The MFA estimates the number of Iraqi refugees as between 40,000 and 50,000. End note.) -------------- In Practice, Barriers to Education -------------- 
¶4. (SBU) Ray Jureidini, AUC Professor of Refugee Studies, told pol LES that access to education is the biggest concern for Iraqis in Egypt. UNHCR unofficially estimates that 30,000 Iraqi primary- secondary- and university-aged students are seeking education in a system struggling to accommodate even Egyptian student enrollment. Only 800 Iraqis are enrolled in Egyptian public schools, and only 4000 in private, primary and secondary schools, according to MFA Deputy Assistant Minister for Arab Affairs Hany Khallaf and Assistant Minister for Refugees Tarek El Maaty. Although Iraqis can attend public schools if they have Egyptian citizenship or UNHCR refugee status, Iraqi parents told pol LES that in practice their children are often rejected to make room for Egyptian students. Private schools, on the other hand, are wary of enrolling Iraqis for fear they might not be able to pay, according to a teacher at a private Cairo secondary school. At the university level, non-Egyptians pay between LE 2820 (USD 500) and LE 8460 (USD 1500) a year to attend public universities that charge Egyptians a mere LE 100 (USD 18),although an explosion of private universities in Egypt has made university education more accessible to the well-off. ¶5. (SBU) Religious differences are also creating barriers to education. Shiite Iraqi parents complain that Islamic studies, obligatory through high school, are taught only from the Sunni perspective. They also say that Egyptian schools do not allocate special prayer areas for Shiites. Highlighting this issue, the GOE refused to give permission when approximately 7000 Iraqi Shiites requested to build a Shiite Mosque in 6 of October City last June, according to local press. Iraqis reportedly based their request on Article 46 of the Egyptian Constitution, which states that "the state shall guarantee the freedom of belief and the freedom of practice of religious rites." -------------- Health -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The government provides free public health insurance CAIRO 00002805 002 OF 002 for Egyptian nationals; foreigners in Egypt must obtain private insurance and cannot go to public Egyptian hospitals except in emergencies. One Iraqi bakery owner complained that private clinics are very expensive for Iraqis in Cairo; in comparison to LE 10 (USD 1.80) per check-up at a public clinic, even a basic physical at a private clinic costs on average 30 LE (USD 5.30). -------------- Egyptians Annoyed at Iraqi Influx -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Anecdotal information indicates that some Egyptians are resentful about increasing competition for jobs and housing from Iraqis. Unemployment in Egypt remains high, and Egyptian engineers, technicians, and grocers have told us that a continuing influx of Iraqis is further straining the labor market. Although only Iraqis with local residency status can work officially, in practice anyone can work in Egypt's large informal economy. Iraqi university students told Pol LES that they will work for "half a salary" if it helps them to stay in Egypt. Regarding housing, a Cairo private contractor and real estate professional opined that Egyptian homebuyers are resentful over the perception that Iraqis, living mostly in middle-class Cairo neighborhoods, have contributed to higher real estate prices. -------------- Official Egyptian Response: It's Not So Bad -------------- ¶8. (SBU) El Maaty contended that Iraqis in Egypt do not face hardships beyond those of ordinary Egyptians, and thus the GOE need not provide them special services. Khallaf told local press that the GOE currently has no plans to ask the international community for financial assistance for Iraqi refugees. Though providing little in services, Egypt has made it a practice not to deport unregistered Iraqis, according to Jureidini and UNHCR/Cairo, and instead regularly refers them to UNHCR for help and to issue them refugee cards. UNHCR/Cairo also automatically renews the nine-month term of refugee status for all Iraqis in Egypt registered with UNHCR. RICCIARDONE