ISRAEL AND EGYPT REPORTEDLY AGREE ON AFRICAN

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002052 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PREL UNHCR IS EG SU SUBJECT: ISRAEL AND EGYPT REPORTEDLY AGREE ON AFRICAN REFUGEE PLAN REF: A. TEL AVIV 2015 B. CAIRO 199 C. TEL AVIV 1704 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: GOI contacts report that Prime Minister Olmert and Egyptian President Mubarak agreed to a plan for dealing with African refugees during a June 25 summit in Sharm-al-Sheik, Egypt. The proposal, presented by Olmert to a GOI inter-agency meeting on July 1, reportedly includes an Egyptian commitment to accept the return of all future Sudanese asylum seekers who transited Egypt en route to Israel -- with an Egyptian promise not to send them to an uncertain fate in Sudan -- and an expectation that Israel would grant refugee status to some of the Sudanese from Darfur that are already in Israel. This agreement has not been put on paper, and questions have already arisen as to whether Mubarak indeed sees the issue as Olmert believes, and even if he does, whether Mubarak will be able to implement the agreement in the face of expected opposition within his own government. Israel has not committed to the granting of refugee status to Darfurians either, and is unlikely to do so until implementation of the other parts of the agreement is assured. UNHCR told Regional Refugee Coordinator that the GOI did not present a comprehensive plan to deal with African asylum seekers currently in Israel, and that the GOI, in coordination with UNHCR, will likely ask resettlement countries to accept many of them. A GOI contact asked that the request (reftel C) she forwarded for the USG to approach the GOE with a similar proposal be put on hold until the prospects for this proposal become more clear. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) During a June 25 summit in Sharm-al-Sheikh, Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Egyptian President Mubarak reportedly agreed to a plan for dealing with African asylum seekers that enter Israel via Egypt. The proposal that Olmert presented to a GOI inter-agency meeting at the PM's office on July 1 includes a reported Egyptian commitment to accept the return of all future asylum seekers who transited Egypt en route to Israel. The IDF would apprehend the "infiltrators" and immediately return them to Egypt via the border crossings, with Egyptian assurances of their safety, i.e. that Sudanese would not be sent back to Sudan. The Egyptians reportedly also agreed to work to prevent future "infiltrations" from Egypt to Israel. The plan was supposed to take effect July 2. 
¶3. (SBU) An MFA contact said that Israel is "looking to grant" refugee status to the approximately 220 Sudanese from Darfur already in Israel, but did not indicate that any formal plan had been approved. The contact emphasized that she was sharing this information in "complete confidentiality" and that "if any of this leaks out in SIPDIS definite terms" it would "open the floodgates" (for future asylum seekers.) In sum, the GOI has not committed to granting refugee status to Darfurians, and is unlikely to do so until implementation of the other parts of the agreement is assured. Press reports sounded a similar note, saying Olmert announced that he would agree to absorb a small number of refugees from Darfur, but only after the GOI is assured that future "infiltrations" will be prevented. The contact said that Africans from countries with which Israel "has no problem," either "infiltrators" or those asking for status, will be treated "like always" and returned to their home country. ¶4. (SBU) The proposed agreement has not been put on paper, and questions have already arisen as to whether Mubarak indeed sees the issue as Olmert believes, and even if he does, whether Mubarak will be able to implement the agreement in the face of expected opposition within his own government. Our contact said that Israel wanted "not just assurances" but to be "100% sure it will happen" and that she was not optimistic this would be the case. MFA DDG for Multilateral Affairs Roni Leshno Ya'ar told Pol/C July 2 that it remains unclear whether the Egyptian bureaucracy will actually implement the agreement, but that he thought it would become clear in a matter of days. Ya'ar said that Egyptian Foreign Minster Abul Gheit is opposed to the arrangement. ¶5. (SBU) Regional refugee coordinator (RRG) reported that UNHCR Israel head Michael Bavly said the plan would return most of the current African asylum seekers (and every future asylum seeker) to Egypt. He speculated that, if the GOI-GOE agreement is successfully implemented, the GOI would likely grant prima facie refugee status to those it believes are from Darfur. RRG noted that UNHCR-HQ's position on the plan was unclear. Comment: Given the lack of a formal agreement between Israel and Egypt, as well as the lack of a concrete plan on the part of the GOI to provide legal status to Darfurians, it is hard to say exactly what will happen. End comment. ¶6. (SBU) The GOI contact asked that the request (reftel C) she forwarded earlier for the USG to approach the GOE with a similar proposal be put on hold until the prospects for this proposal become more clear. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES