TEN CUBAN MIGRANTS HAVE A NEW HOME IN PRAGUE

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000350 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL CU EZ SUBJECT: TEN CUBAN MIGRANTS HAVE A NEW HOME IN PRAGUE REF: STATE 124445 ¶1. (SBU) The Czech Ministry of Interior has announced the successful resettlement of three Cuban migrant families (ten people) from Guantanamo Bay to Prague. The migrants were persecuted by the Castro regime for their political and religious beliefs. According to local press reports, Interior Minister Ivan Langer said, "It is our ambition that the Czech Republic becomes a home for the refugees." ¶2. (SBU) According to MOI official Katerina Sykorova (who works with the Unit for Policy, International Relations and Information on Countries of Origin),the migrants arrived on March 20. After completing asylum and border police procedures, they were driven to their new homes in private apartments near Prague. Sykorova said the migrants are "really excited about their new future." ¶3. (SBU) The resettlement was made in response to a U.S. request (reftel). GRABER