UNHCR Jordan: No Plans for Large-Scale Iraqi Repatriations

UNCLAS AMMAN 002564 SIPDIS SENSITIVE NEA/ELA, PRM/ANE Ref: a) Cairo 01762; b) OSC Document GMP20080902663003 E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A TAGS: PREF EAID IZ JO SUBJECT: UNHCR Jordan: No Plans for Large-Scale Iraqi Repatriations ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A press report that Iraqi-chartered planes would fly Iraqi refugees home from Jordan before the end of Ramadan is an exaggeration. UNHCR-Jordan and the GOI discussed possible repatriation methods during a late August 2008 meeting. However, neither party committed to plans for an operation in September. UNHCR will assist Iraqis who voluntarily return home on an individual basis. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Jordanian media reported September 3 that Abd-Al-Samad Abd-Al-Rahman, Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Displaced Persons, recently met with IOM and UNHCR-Jordan to discuss the chartering of planes to bring home Iraqi refugees (paragraph 6 below). RefCoord followed up with ARAFAT Jamal, UNHCR JordanQs Deputy Country Representative. Jamal told us that Abd-al-Rahman paid a visit to Jordan during the weekend of August 30-31. During the Minister's visit, according to Jamal, he expressed the GOIQs strong interest in encouraging repatriation to Iraq. The Minister told UNHCR that the security situation in Iraq warranted general repatriation, and that 450 Iraqis had already asked the Iraqi Embassy in Amman for assistance in returning home. ¶3. (SBU) One of the methods of repatriation discussed in general terms was the use of Iraqi-charted aircraft to fly refugees to Baghdad, as had been done in Egypt in August (Ref a). According to Jamal, UNHCR told the Minister that UNHCR would assist Iraqis to repatriate on an individual basis based on the merits of each case. Jamal explained to RefCoord that those seeking return had individual reasons for wanting to go home, but that UNHCR had no indication that significant numbers of minorities and other vulnerable Iraqis wished to return at this time. ¶4. (SBU) UNHCR was in the process of interviewing potential Iraqi returnees during RefCoord's visit. Initial findings, per Jamal, indicated that while hundreds of Iraqis had approached the Iraqi Embassy and UNHCR for information about possible repatriation, few had plans to return home in the near future. Jamal stressed that UNHCR would continue to follow a policy of evaluating the merit of any application for assisted repatriation to Iraq. Note: Iraqis wishing to return spontaneously without UNHCR support can do so at any time. End note. ¶6. (U) The following is the text of a Jordanian report of the Minister's visit. Amman Al-Ghadd in Arabic 02 Sep 08 p 3A [Report by Mu'ayyad Abu-Subayh: "Private airplanes to transport Iraqis in the kingdom home"] An informed Iraqi source announced that his country's government plans to charter private airplanes to facilitate the return of Iraqi refugees in the kingdom [Jordan] back to their country following the noticeable improvement in the security situation in Baghdad. The source told Al-Ghadd yesterday that "Abd-al-Samad Abd-al-Rahman, Iraqi minister of immigration and displaced persons, recently met with officials from the International Immigration Organization and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. They discussed the means for chartering private airplanes or transportation vehicles at the Iraqi Government's expense to facilitate the return" of refugees in the kingdom to their country. He added: "It is expected that the first group will leave during the second half of the holy month of Ramadan after all the travel preparations have been completed." End quote. Visit AmmanQs Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman BEECROFT