TURKEY: MEK IRANIAN REFUGUEES STILL NOT WELCOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001270
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2018
TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM TU IZ
SUBJECT: TURKEY: MEK IRANIAN REFUGUEES STILL NOT WELCOME

REF: A. ANKARA 1210

B. 07 ANKARA 1927

C. SECSTATE 46682

Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: Over the past few weeks, the issue of MEK
(Mujahideen-E-Khalq) Iranians entering Turkey has again come
to the fore in Post's conversations with the GOT on refugee
issues. At least 45 MEK Iranians are currently known to have
entered Turkish territory from Iraq, nearly all having
entered illegally. GOT officials are angered by what they
perceive as active U.S. encouragement of illegal entry into
Turkey by political migrants who are not welcome here. This
issue has also contributed to deteriorating relations between
the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and
the GOT. Some of the Iranians have already been deported
from Turkey, and at least one reportedly died while crossing
a river from Turkey into Iraq under duress by Turkish
authorities. End summary.


2. (SBU) During meetings on June 20 with visiting Ambassador
Jim Foley, Special Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Affairs (Ref
A),both MFA and Interior Ministry officials raised their
concerns about MEK Iranians illegally entering Turkey from
Iraq. They stated in no uncertain terms that these Iranians
are not welcome in Turkey and will not be recognized by
Turkish authorities as refugees or given exit permits for
resettlement to third countries. They expressed concern that
UNHCR "unilaterally" confers refugee status on MEK Iranians
and frustration that no other country, including the U.S., is
willing to accept these individuals for resettlement. At the
same time, they worried that hosting the MEK Iranians here
will harm Turkey's already fragile relations with neighboring
Iran. They said they suspect the U.S. has intentionally
diverted these people into Turkey. The issue of these MEK
Iranians made Amb. Foley's meetings on the resettlement of
Iraqi refugees at both the MFA and the Interior Ministry
initially tense.


3. (C) Turkish authorities are not shooting in the dark when
they assume the U.S. is at least aware that the MEK Iranians
are coming to Turkey. Post was aware of MNF-I plans to
possibly assist the former inhabitants of Camp Ashraf to
Turkey as of July 2007 and warned against doing so (Ref B),
as the GOT was wary about such plans even then. Moreover,
the MEK Iranians are presenting a letter from the
Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) when they encounter
Turkish authorities. UNHCR shared with Post a letter
presented by one MEK Iranian. UNHCR states 29 Iranians who
were previously held at Camp Ashraf in Northern Iraq have
approached UNHCR - Ankara holding the same letter (UNHCR
estimates there are 45 Iranians previously held at Camp
Ashraf who are in Turkey now). The letter is on letterhead
from MNF-I, Task Force 134, and reads:

Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF)
Memorandum for Personnel Concerned

(Name) has been under United States protection. She is
recognized as a refugee under the UNHCR mandate.

(Name) will be traveling out of the country of Iraq with her
Government of Iraq issued Laissez Passer and is authorized to
do so. It is her intent to obtain a visa at the border and
cross into Turkey. This action has been approved by MNF-I
and the US Embassy, Baghdad, in conjunction with the
Government of Iraq.

Sincerely,
(Signature)
Colonel, U.S. Army.

(C) Since the letters specifically state that U.S. Embassy,
Baghdad, has approved the individual's attempt to cross the
border into Turkey, the GOT's concerns about U.S. diversion
of refugees into Turkey are hard to refute.


4. (C) In his meeting with Amb. Foley on June 19, and in
another meeting with Ankara Consul General on June 30, UNHCR
Representative in Turkey Michel Gaude lamented UNHCR's own
deteriorating relations with the GOT and attributed the bad
blood partly to the issue of the MEK Iranians present here.
UNHCR-GOT relations took a sharp downturn following a UNHCR
press release in April regarding the alleged deaths of
UNHCR-recognized refugees, one of whom was an MEK Iranian,
during their deportation from Turkey to Iraq (Ref C).
Because the GOT does not recognize the MEK Iranians as
refugees, authorities assert UNHCR has no right to publicly
condemn their deportation from Turkey, a country they entered
illegally. Both the MFA and Interior Ministry called Gaude
in for tongue lashings following UNHCR's press release.


5. (C) In early June, UNHCR again approached the MFA to
protest the refoulement of three MEK Iranians to Iran.
Following that meeting, Gaude noted to Consul General his
fear that GOT expulsion of UNHCR is a growing possibility.
Equally worrisome, though, is the fact that one of the three
refugees was injured during the deportation, then disappeared
and may have died. In this case, the refugee fell into a
hole and broke his leg while being marched to the Iranian
border in the dark. The other two refugees were able to
evade the Jandarma units who had dropped them off and ordered
them to enter Iran. They later approached the UNHCR office
in Van and explained what happened. According to Gaude,
UNHCR chose not to make a press statement in this case,
fearing its involvement would only make deportation more
likely for the remaining MEK Iranians in Turkey.


6. (C) Comment: The arrival of at least 45 MEK Iranians in
Turkey over the past year has angered Turkish authorities and
harmed UNHCR-GOT relations. This situation could hinder our
ability to reach the Department's goal of resettling 2,000
Iraqi refugees from Turkey to the U.S. this fiscal year, as
it has irritated our much-needed contacts on refugee issues
at the MFA and MOI. Moreover, the MEK Iranians have neither
a durable solution in Turkey nor any hope of being resettled
to a third country from Turkey in the near future. Post
requests that USG entities in Iraq cease recommending Turkey
as a destination and especially cease providing written
affirmations to that effect that are undermining US and UNHCR
interests in this country. End comment.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey

WILSON