UNHCR TO REASSESS REFUGEES AS PRESSURE MOUNTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 001664

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, AND PRM; MOSCOW FOR DHS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2017
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL AF TI UZ
SUBJECT: UNHCR TO REASSESS REFUGEES AS PRESSURE MOUNTS

REF: TASHKENT 1494

Classified by: POLOFF TIM BUCKLEY FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D).


1. (C) Summary: DCM met with United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) Resident Representative Fikret Akcura on
September 17 to discuss the status of Afghan refugees. DCM
conveyed that all DHS interviews have been completed but any
new candidates put forth by UNHCR and any successful appeals
will be considered. However, at least one-fifth of refugees
are known to have links to the Soviet-era regime in
Afghanistan, which makes it difficult to identify
resettlement options. DCM suggested that UNDP approach
Russia and Australia as alternatives, and UNDP also plans to
ask Canada and Scandinavian countries to consider accepting
them. UNDP reported that a UNHCR team will reassess the
status of all Afghan refugees in October, which should yield
some new candidates for DHS interview and pare down the
number of bona fide refugees who remain. Meanwhile, the GOU
is continuing to apply pressure in an effort to remove all
refugees, citing their relative prosperity and travel habits.
UNHCR is considering relocating refugees to Kyrgyzstan,
which would be an exception to its policy of not sending
refugees to a third-party nation. However, this is also
politically complex. End summary.

STATUS OF DHS INTERVIEWS
--------------


2. (C) On September 17 DCM met with UNDP's Akcura to discuss
the status of the remaining Afghan refugees in Uzbekistan.
DCM informed Akcura that DHS received a list of 796
candidates from UNHCR (although 1,000 were expected) and
completed interviews for all refugees who showed up for their
appointments. There were a substantial number of no-shows,
partly attributed to the possibility that some refugees have
returned to Afghanistan. DCM confirmed that DHS has no
additional pending interviews, though some cases may be
reinterviewed based on successful appeals. IOM and UNHCR
have provided information to refugees on how to prepare
appeals, so the number of appealed cases may increase. DCM
also noted that if additional names of refugees are put
forth, post will request DHS to send its interviewing staff
from Moscow to conduct the interviews.

UNHCR TEAM TO UPDATE STATUS DETERMINATIONS
--------------


3. (C) UNDP reported that staff from UNHCR visited Uzbekistan
recently and concluded that a thorough review of the status
of refugees is necessary. UNHCR will send a team (consisting
of staff from Bishkek and other locations) in October, and it
will report new findings immediately thereafter. UNDP
expects that approximately 30 additional cases (totalling 100
refugees) will likely be deemed eligible for submission to
DHS for consideration. UNDP asked how quickly DHS could
interview newly identified eligible cases, to which DCM
responded that post would suggest to DHS the end of the
calendar year as a reasonable target date. Post will keep
DHS officers in Moscow informed about the progress of UNHCR's
assessment. Akcura noted that only UNHCR has the authority
to make a final submission of eligible refugees, but he said
"UNDP will push them because life here is becoming very tough
for the refugees". UNDP reports that the GOU has been
cooperative in issuing visas for the intended UNHCR staff.

PRESSURE ON REFUGEES REMAINS HIGH
--------------


4. (C) Akcura's staff noted that just last week some refugees
who have already been selected to go to the USA were harassed
and had their documents confiscated by police. UNDP
successfully retrieved them only by providing guarantees that
these refugees are leaving. Mr. Akcura has "a strong sense
that the police have been instructed to make life difficult
for the refugees". In a recent UNDP meeting with First
Deputy FM Nematov, in which Akcura pleaded for the GOU "to go
easy on the issue until next year", he also could sense
pressure "from higher levels" to get the refugees out of
Uzbekistan as quickly as possible. Akcura said he pointed
out that, even if the refugees obtained the expensive visas


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COMMENT
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9. (C) The upcoming reassessment by the UNHCR team in October
will likely result in a smaller list of bona fide refugees,
since some have apparently gone home and the team may respond
to UNDP pressure to eliminate some of the economic refugees
from the rolls. UNDP is clearly frustrated with UNHCR's slow
pace of activity regarding the refugees but points out UNDP
has "no mandate or capacity to assess the refugees nor would
UNHCR accept it" if they attempted their own efforts. DHS is
likely to be presented with additional candidates to
interview, as well as some appeals, but a number of refugees
will still remain in need of assistance. Akcura's concern
that the GOU will "push refugees across the border" to
Afghanistan appears well-founded.


NORLAND