IRANIAN FORCED REPATRIATIONS ANGER PARLIAMENT

UNCLAS KABUL 003480 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA.FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, NSC FOR JWOOD OSD FOR KIMMETT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AF PREF SUBJECT: IRANIAN FORCED REPATRIATIONS ANGER PARLIAMENT REF: A. REF A: KABUL 1605 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. REF B: KABUL 3386 ¶1. (U) During the October 8 session of Parliament's Lower House, incensed MPs once again accused the Iranian government of systematically mistreating Afghan refugees and unregistered migrants (REF A). Media reports that 16 Afghan minors had recently been condemned to death by an Iranian court triggered MPs' anger. They denounced a perceived Iranian policy of pressuring refugee departures and urged Tehran not to implement its rumored plans to expel 20,000 Afghans within the next several weeks (REF B). The next day, the Upper House drafted a letter to its Iranian counterpart requesting the expulsions be delayed on humanitarian grounds due to the onset of harsh winter weather. ¶2. (U) Lower House members' indignation flared when Humaira Aka Khail, MP from Balkh province, alleged that the 16 condemned minors, families would be compelled to purchase the rope by which their children would be hanged. Ramazan Bashardost, MP from Kabul, charged that Iran had long restricted Afghan refugees to menial laboring jobs that Iranians refused to undertake. Another Kabul MP, Mohammad Kabir Ranjbar, complained that Iran,s refugee expulsion plans are an insult to Afghanistan's national integrity and prestige. He urged UN intervention to stop the expulsions. Other MPs took the opportunity to accuse Iran of meddling in Afghan politics. Qazi Nazir Ahmad, MP from Herat province, which adjoins Iran, complained "we have border problems with all neighboring countries, especially with Iran." Ghazni MP Khan Mohammad said our "security officials confirmed that Iran is interfering in Afghanistan, even as U.S. forces reported a year ago." Mohammad and several other MPs called for a retributive cooling in the bilateral relationship. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Afghans are too preoccupied with the insurgency and personal security worries to expend much concern on Iran's possible machinations against their interests. Nevertheless, disagreements over forced repatriations, water rights, and Iran's gathering concerns about Afghanistan as source for narcotics and a possible haven for Baloch separatists will tend to feed tension in the bilateral relationship. WOOD