UPDATES ON DISPLACED IRAQIS IN SYRIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000367 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR WALLER, LONDON FOR TSOU, PRM/FO E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2017 TAGS: PREF PGOV SY SUBJECT: UPDATES ON DISPLACED IRAQIS IN SYRIA REF: DAMASCUS 258 CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES MICHAEL H. CORBIN FOR REASONS 1.4 B/D ¶1. (C) IN THE RUN-UP TO THE APRIL 17-18 "INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADDRESSING THE HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OF REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN IRAQ AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES" IN GENEVA, POST PROVIDES THE FOLLOWING UPDATES BASED ON AN APRIL 15 CONVERSATION WITH UNHCR'S DAMASCUS REPRESENTATIVE LAURENS JOLLES: -- SYRIAN ATTENDANCE AT THE CONFERENCE WILL INCLUDE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER FAISAL MIKDAD (WHO MET MARCH 12 WITH VISITING ASSISTANT SECRETARY ELLEN SAUERBREY FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION AS REPORTED IN REFTEL) AND MIKDAD'S OFFICE DIRECTOR HUSSAM AL-DIN ALA'. THE HEAD OF THE SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT, ABDUL RAHMAN ATTAR, WILL ALSO ATTEND. -- COST TO SYRIA: SARG OFFICIALS ARE EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE AT THE CONFERENCE THE COST TO SYRIA OF HOSTING THE INFLUX OF IRAQIS WHO ARE COMMONLY ESTIMATED TO NUMBER BETWEEN 1.3 AND 1.5 MILLION (ALTHOUGH NO ONE REALLY KNOWS THE TRUE NUMBER). FOR A MONTH, DEPUTY PM FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS ABDULLAH DARDARI HAS BEEN PUBLICLY QUOTING THE COST TO DATE OF HOSTING THE IRAQIS AT OVER ONE BILLION USD. -- NUMBER OF IRAQIS IN SYRIA: UP UNTIL NOW, THERE HAS BEEN NO PUBLIC RELEASE OF AN UPDATED SURVEY ON THE NUMBER OF DISPLACED IRAQIS IN SYRIA SINCE THE MARCH 2006 SOCIO-ECONOMIC JOINT REPORT BY UNHCR, THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM AND UNICEF. THERE ARE REPORTS THAT THE SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT RECENTLY COMPLETED AN UPDATED SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY WITH HELP FROM TWO SCANDINAVIAN ORGANIZATIONS, BUT SO FAR THE REPORT HAS NOT BEEN PUBLICLY RELEASED AND UNHCR HAS NOT SEEN A COPY. THE SARG DENIED PERMISSION FOR A PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY BY THE NORWEGIAN ORGANIZATION FAFO. -- IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS: USING FUNDS FROM UNHCR'S 2007 USD 60 MILLION FLASH APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE TO IRAQIS IN THE REGION, UNHCR HAS CONCLUDED AGREEMENTS WITH THE SYRIAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (USD 3.8 MILLION); THE SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT; THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FOR SYRIA'S NORTHEASTERN HASSAKE PROVINCE (USD 655,000); CARITAS (USD 94,000); IBRAHIM KHALIL (USD 94,000); BON PASTEUR (USD 94,000); THE PALESTINIAN RED CROSS (152,000); AND THE EVANGELICAL CHRIST IN ALLIANCE CHURCH (USD 196,000). STILL PENDING ARE AGREEMENTS WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH (USD 2 MILLION) AND THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION (USD 47,000). -- NGOS: THE SYRIAN MFA HAS INDICATED TO UNHCR IT WILL SUPPORT THE PRESENCE IN SYRIA OF NON-POLITICAL, NON-RELIGIOUS, NON-CONTROVERSIAL INTERNATIONAL NGOS IN SYRIA, WHICH WOULD NOT BE LICENSED BUT WOULD INSTEAD WORK UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT. SUCH NGOS INCLUDE THE DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL AND THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE. -- RESETTLEMENT: SYRIAN MFA SPOKESWOMAN BUSHRA KANAFANI RECENTLY VOICED CONCERN TO UNHCR ABOUT THE SARG'S FEAR THAT THE IRAQIS REFERRED FOR THIRD-COUNTRY RESETTLEMENT WOULD BE AMONG THE MOST EDUCATED, CREATING A "BRAINDRAIN" THAT WOULD HINDER THE REBUILDING OF IRAQ. (NOTE: MIKDAD VOICED A SARG CONCERN TO SAUERBREY DURING HER MARCH 12 VISIT THAT THE USG WAS ONLY INTERESTED IN ACCEPTING FOR RESETTLEMENT THOSE IRAQIS WHO HAD WORKED WITH THE USG IN IRAQ. END NOTE.) -- DEPORTATIONS: UNHCR HAS NO INDICATIONS THAT THE SARG IS DEPORTING IRAQIS WHO HAVE OVERSTAYED THEIR VISAS HERE. UNHCR HAS SET UP HOTLINES FOR BY WHICH IRAQIS CAN REPORT LEGAL PROBLEMS, BUT SO FAR IT HAS BEEN ABLE TO RESOLVE ALL OUTSTANDING VISA ISSUES. CURRENTLY, NEW IRAQI ARRIVALS ARE GIVEN A ONE-MONTH ENTRY VISA, WHICH THEY CAN EXTEND TO THREE MONTHS AT THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR'S IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT. THE THREE-MONTH VISA CAN BE EXTENDED WITHIN SYRIA FOR ANOTHER THREE MONTHS. AFTER THE SIX MONTHS IS EXHAUSTED, IRAQIS MUST DEPART--ALTHOUGH THERE IS AT PRESENT NO WAITING PERIOD PREVENTING THEIR IMMEDIATE RETURN--AND REENTER SYRIA UPON WHICH THE PROCESS BEGINS AGAIN. CORBIN