LEBANON: IRAQI CHALDEAN REFUGEES SUFFERING IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001688

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO AND NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR PRM FOR ACTING A/S WITTEN
IO A/S HOOK AND PDAS WARLICK
P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY
AMMAN FOR RUSTY INGRAHAM
BAGHDAD FOR SR COORDINATOR FOR REFUGEES AND IDPS RICHARD
ALBRIGHT
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/YERGER/MCDERMOTT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR PREF IQ LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: IRAQI CHALDEAN REFUGEES SUFFERING IN
LEBANON

REF: BEIRUT 952

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) In a November 25 meeting with the Ambassador, Chaldean
Archbishop Michel Kassarji spoke of the challenges facing the
5,000 Iraqi Christian refugees in Lebanon, including child
labor, minimal education opportunities, and inability to find
skilled employment. While the GOL has grown more
understanding in the past year and a number of NGOs and his
church provide assistance, Kassarji assessed that these
service providers are meeting only 35 percent of the needs of
Iraqi Christian refugee community. Kassarji confessed that
he had originally falsely assumed the Iraqi Christians wanted
to return to Iraq, when in fact, he said, he learned they are
afraid and believe the situation will not improve anytime
soon. Kassarji expressed a fear that Iraqi refugees in
Jordan and Syria will relocate to Lebanon, believing Beirut
offers greater economic opportunities. In addition to his
church's future plans to aid the Iraqi Christians, Kassarji
suggested the U.S. provide assistance to these refugees in
Lebanon and encourage the GOL to do the same. End summary.

CHALDEAN POPULATION EXPLODED
WITH ARRIVAL OF IRAQI REFUGEES
--------------


2. (C) The Ambassador, accompanied by PolOff, met with
Chaldean Archbishop Michel Kassarji at the Chaldean church in
Brazilia on November 25. Retired General Michel Kasdano and
another volunteer from the Beirut Chaldean Bishopric also
attended the meeting. Noting that the permanent Lebanese
Chaldean population numbers 10,000, Kassarji remarked on the
volume of Iraqi Christians now living in Lebanon, which he
estimated to be 5,000, and approximately 4,500 of these are
Chaldean. Not all of these refugees register with UNHCR. He
further estimated that 300,000 Iraqi Christians have left
Iraq since 2003.

DIFFICULTIES WORKING,
ATTENDING SCHOOL
--------------


3. (C) According to Kassarji, only one-third of the Iraqi
Christian refugee children in Lebanon attend school because
they need to earn money for their families. He said child
labor was a big problem, and many of the children were
exploited by working 12 hours daily, with little to no rest,
and receiving meager wages. He said the children also faced
problems attending school because of a difference in
education levels and because the Iraqis studied previously in
Arabic, whereas the Lebanese system is English- or
French-based. The men, regardless of the educational
background and work experience, can only get manual labor
jobs because they are considered by the GOL to be in Lebanon
illegally.


4. (C) Kassarji characterized the Iraqi Christian refugees as
primarily intact families or widows and their children, with
many physically disabled or mentally disturbed individuals.
Approximately 70 percent of the Iraqi Christians live in the
Sad al Boushrieh neighborhood in eastern Beirut.

CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED;
MAJORITY OF NEEDS REMAIN UNMET
--------------


5. (C) Kassarji assessed that the lives of Iraqi Christian
refugees have improved over the past year, which he
attributed to his church's media campaign. He explained that
he had been promoting their cause as "minorities threatened

BEIRUT 00001688 002 OF 002


in Iraq." He said framing it in this way, rather than "the
plight of the refugees" resonated better with the GOL and
that it has since "listened more." (Note: Calling the
Iraqis "refugees" hits too close to home in Lebanon, which
supports with a population of 400,000 Palestinian refugees.
End note.) Previously, he continued, the GOL was deporting
the Iraqi Christian refugees back to Iraq. Surete Generale,
the GOL authority responsible for immigration matters,
continues to detain those lacking legal status, and he noted
that 528 Iraqi Christians were currently in detention
(reftel).


6. (C) Listing the services his church provides for the
refugees, including covering emergency medical bills,
Kassarji said it is not nearly enough. He estimated that the
NGOs assisting the Iraqis in Lebanon meet only 35 percent of
their needs. He relayed his church's plans to build a
social/medical center and a regular/technical school to
accommodate the Iraqi Christians in Beirut.

THEY DO NOT WANT
TO RETURN TO IRAQ
--------------


7. (C) "No one wants to return," Kassarji stated
definitively, adding, "There is no safe place in Iraq and
they do not trust the Iraqi army." He expressed his personal
hope that the refugees would one day return to Iraq, but
asserted that it was not safe for them today. He committed
to helping the Iraqi Christians until they were able to
return. (Comment: We had been hearing, namely from Syriac
League SYG Habib Efram, that the Iraqis wanted to return.
That assessment may reflect the view by some interested
Lebanese Christians that it is better for the Iraqi
Christians to return to preserve an Iraqi Christian identity,
just as they strive to preserve their own Lebanese Christian
presence. End comment.)


8. (C) Kassarji confessed that he was unaware of the true
aspirations of the refugees until they reacted to his
church's campaigning efforts calling for their return. He
said he received a letter from a refugee expressing anger and
explaining that he did not feel safe to return and did not
have hope that things for Chaldeans would improve in Iraq.

NUMBERS MAY INCREASE AS REFUGEES
IN JORDAN, SYRIA COULD RELOCATE
--------------


9. (C) Noting that Lebanon has significantly fewer Iraqi
Christian refugees than neighboring Jordan and Syria,
Kassarji speculated that tight labor markets and rising rents
could push Iraqis into Lebanon. He said many already cross
the border from Syria to Lebanon illegally.

HOW THE U.S. CAN HELP
--------------


10. (C) Relaying that he had met with Interior Minister Ziad
Baroud and Maronite Patriarch Sfeir on this issue, Kassarji
suggested it would be helpful if the Ambassador raised the
issue with PM Fouad Siniora and the Patriarch. He relayed
that he found Sfeir to be "unhelpful." He appealed to the
Ambassador for assistance in meeting the refugees' needs in
Lebanon. In Iraq, Kassarji suggested the establishment of a
safe haven that is protected militarily and through a UN
resolution.


11. Note: In 2008, DHS teams working at Embassy Beirut have
processed 1,217 cases (2,503 individuals) of Iraqi refugees
in Lebanon for resettlement in the United States. DHS tells
us it expects to send teams back to Embassy Beirut and
process at least 2,000 cases during 2009. End Note.

SISON