C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000368

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/PGI M COOK AND S/WCI AMBASSADOR WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR KAWC PTER XG SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN SAYS NO TO ACCEPTING GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

REF: A. STOCKHOLM 315

B. STATE 36991

C. STATE 37005

D. STATE 43389

E. STOCKHOLM 366

F. STOCKHOLM 312

Classified By: Polcouns Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (c) MFA Political Director Olof Skoog told Polcouns 4/5
that the GoS had carefully considered but could not agree to
the U.S. request to accept Guantanamo detainees (refs A-D).
Skoog said the request had been reviewed by all relevant
elements of the Swedish government, and there were compelling
reasons Sweden could not accede to the request. Sweden was
experiencing a tremendous surge in asylum seekers,
particularly from Iraq (refs E, F). He said that in 2006,
Sweden had taken in 9,000 Iraqi asylum seekers, half of the
total going to EU states. This year, the GoS was projecting
25,000 from Iraq -- and this number would be increased by
later family unifications. This was putting a tremendous
strain on the budget.


2. (c) Skoog also noted legal and technical difficulties
regarding the request. The Swedish Migration Board was an
independent agency; the GoS could not take decisions on
granting residence permits. Intervening politically in this
process would be difficult. Sweden had already set its
resettlement quota for the year and was focusing on
burden-sharing arrangements with countries that were
undergoing refugee surges, such as Burmese entering Thailand,
or Iraqis in Syria and Jordan. This created substantial
"bureaucratic" impediments to considering a request from the
U.S.


3. (c) Skoog added that an additional impediment -- security
-- had not been considered by the GoS in connection with this
request because specific names were not provided, but
security considerations would render Sweden's acceptance of
any Guantanamo detainees even more difficult. This had been,
Skoog noted, a determining factor in denying our prior
request for Sweden to accept two Uighur detainees from
Guantanamo.


4. (c) Comment: Skoog was at pains to make the "no" answer
clear, while justifying the GoS position by noting how Sweden
is doing its share and more in dealing with other
resettlement effects of the conflicts in Iraq and elsewhere.
MALCIK